


Fibra

by Usami_chan13



Category: Super Mario Bros.
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-28
Updated: 2012-05-28
Packaged: 2017-11-06 04:09:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/414537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Usami_chan13/pseuds/Usami_chan13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A single choice can change a destiny. A single soul can be corrupted. A  single heart can be the difference between victory and defeat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> An old story from long ago. I wrote it over the course of two or so years, so there's a noticeable change in writing quality. But people seem to like this on FF.net, so I thought I'd post it here.

It seemed to have been hours since he had been minding his own business when out of nowhere two paratroopa had picked him off the ground and flew off with him. They had been flying so long, and he wasn't sure how much ground they had passed since his eyes were shut tight.

Heights was one on a big list of things he was afraid of.

There was nothing he could do as the winged-turtles continued to fly with him in tow. He was too petrified to move; just the thought of them dropping him with just a slight twitch was enough to immobilize him completely.

Soon, he felt the beating of the paratroopas' wings cease, as though they had gone into a glide. He felt that their altitude was decreasing as they began to hopefully approach the ground. Despite himself, he carefully opened his eyes as a giant familiar castle loomed in the horizon. Before he knew what was happening, the turtles flew towards it, swerving to just barely miss one of the tallest towers.

Before he could gasp, the turtles flew back, releasing him just as they once again barely missed the tower. Terror clamped up his throat, preventing him from uttering a sound. Fearing for his life, he didn't notice as he shot into the window of the tower the paratroopas missed until the hard concrete floor broke his fall.

Groaning, the man shook his head, slowly pushing himself up and dusting off his dark blue overalls. Removing his green cap, he carefully dusted that off before fixing it on his auburn hair. Just as he began to wonder where he was, his dark sapphire eyes caught sight of something on the wall he stood in front of.

Instead of the same concrete stone that created the floor, the wall was littered with pictures, photographs, and newspaper clippings. Initially, his sense of meticulous order overcame him, and awave of disgust for such a jumbled mess was all that occupied him. However, on a closer glance, he was able to realize what all that mess had in common.

His older brother, Mario.

Each picture, each photograph, each news clipping, all of them talked about something Mario had done that deserved and received special recognition, only adding to his glorious growing reputation.

He sighed softly, looking at each accomplishment of his older brother. He had never said anything, but he had always been somewhat jealous of his brother's amazing accomplishments. Bitter, even. Many times, he wished he wasn't always a step behind, that he wasn't always over shadowed by his older brother, that _he_ could gain some recognition for once. Just once.

"He's such a nuisance, isn't he?" a deep, sinister voice said suddenly.

Stiffening terribly, he slowly turned around as dark crimson eyes shot through his soul from the darkness. He felt compelled to scream, but he found that he just couldn't.

"Don't be afraid, Luigi…" the voice said as the eyes continued to burn into his soul. "I don't aim to hurt you…..if you are willing to cooperate…."

Confusion filled the man as fearful sapphire eyes uneasily met the large fiery ones.

"I'm sure you are aware of how much I……loathe your brother for how he always interferes with my plans……And you……I can only imagine how one such as yourself might feel……Always remaining in his arrogant shadow, never to see the spotlight……"

He flinched a little, the vindictive words cutting into him hard.

"But, I have a plan to finally free our existences of the fool….."

The statement ignited some curiosity within him, and he looked at the pair of glowing eyes, silently urging him to continue.

"I am giving you, Luigi, an option……Either you help me finally destroy Mario, or you can join in his demise when I destroy the Mushroom Kingdom……"

He frowned a little at these words, uncertainty filling his being as he glanced back at the wall of Mario.

"Do not be mistaken, Luigi……This plan is guaranteed to work, and if you choose to oppose me, you will be destroyed as your brother will be……"

He looked back at the blood-red eyes, feeling exposed under the hard, piercing gaze.

"But, if you join me, you will be ensuring your safety and freedom from your soul's oppressor……"

Suddenly, a large golden-scaled claw extended out from within the shadows, stopping just in front of Luigi. "What is your answer?"

Rigid and a bit perplexed, he glanced back at the wall of Mario. His sapphire eyes settled on a picture of Mario with Princess Peach and a few Toads. Sighing softly, he then turned back to the claw in front of him. With a trembling hand, Luigi slowly took the claw, sealing the unwritten contract with Bowser, sealing his fate.


	2. Chapter 1

Slowly, Luigi followed Bowser down the dark hallway of this new castle. After establishing their dark deal, they had transferred to another palace, this one being bigger than the last. Though he didn't understand what the point of moving was, he didn't argue with the large creature.

He was a little nervous as to where Bowser was taking him. Did it have anything to do with having to move to such a large castle? And just what was Bowser's plan? All other attempts to overtake the Mushroom Kingdom had been thwarted by Mario. What did he have now that would make it any different?

Luigi was brought out of his musings as he just avoided tripping over Bowser's tail. Looking up, he realized that they were stopped in front of a great door. He watched as Bowser carefully opened it, peering inside and grinning wickedly.

"What do you think, Luigi?" he asked, his heavy voice dripping with eager malice.

As the creature moved slightly for him to look into the room, the plumber's eyes widened at the sight.

"I would turn the lights on for you to appreciate it better," the evil king continued, "but that would activate it, and we're not ready for that yet."

Still, even in the darkest corner, Luigi was able to see the horrid potential of the sinister machine.

"When powered properly," Bowser stated, "this machine will have the ability to destroy the Mushroom Kingdom and everyone in it. Then, I will rebuild my new kingdom atop the ruins, and not even Mario will be able to stop me."

Luigi looked up at the creature, seeing the evil longing an assurance in the glowing eyes.

"Since you have agreed to work with me, Luigi, you have spared your life from this fate. Now, we must develop a plan to rid ourselves of Mario before we can attack the Mushroom Kingdom."

Backing up a little, Bowser turned and continued down the hallway. Luigi lingered for a moment, continuing to stare at the machine.

"Wait a minute," he suddenly said softly.

Bowser stopped, turning a bit to look at the plumber with mild surprise. This was the first Luigi had spoken since placed in his presence.

Still looking in the room, Luigi finally closed the door. Inhaling deeply, he turned to the evil king with dark serious sapphire eyes. "I have a better idea for Mario…"

Bowser was a little taken aback by the sudden change in Luigi's behavior. Suppressing his surprise, he simply replied, "Oh? And what might that be?"

Walking to the king, Luigi kept his eyes ahead of him as he and Bowser began walking again down the hall. "I think," Luigi began, "that we should take a slightly different approach…"

* * *

Mario sighed a bit as he carefully locked the door of Luigi's large mansion, wondering where his younger brother was. The two had planned to meet at the mansion to discuss what should be done with it.

Knowing Luigi's love for simplicity, Mario wasn't surprised when the younger suggested that they not reside there. He had agreed, not feeling comfortable living in the place that Professor E Gadd had build just for Luigi. But Luigi was never one for the extravagant life and would not have been satisfactory living in such a large place, especially by himself.

The brothers often met at the mansion to discuss what they would do with it as Luigi went around to clean each room. Sometimes it annoyed Mario that his younger brother would clean while they were talking, but he never said anything.

The scheduled time for their meeting was about an hour or two ago, and Mario had been delayed for the first half hour. Expecting his brother's usual punctuality, the older plumber was surprised to discover that the door to the mansion was still locked. Luckily, he had his own key, but he wondered where Luigi was. He had gone inside, looking around the mansion in case Luigi was there and he had accidentally locked the door.

But not finding him and not seeing him after an hour of waiting, Mario began to worry.

Just as he was about to leave, a familiar cry reached the plumber's ears. Turning around, he watched as a blue Yoshi flew towards him. He waited as it landed in front of him.

"Yoshi," it said, sniffing around as if looking for something from Mario.

Shaking his head a bit, Mario searched his pockets, pulling out a bag of peanuts. "This is all I have," he said.

"Yoshi!" the creature cried happily. Suddenly, a long red tongue shot out, grabbing the peanuts before retreating back into the waiting mouth. The dino then ate the peanuts, bag and all.

Shaking his head again, the plumber waited patiently until the Yoshi had finished before asking, "What are you doing here?"

Looking at the man, Yoshi pulled out a piece of paper from the saddle on his back, handing it to him.

Taking the paper, Mario carefully unfolded it and reading what it had to say.

_Dear Mario,  
_ _Please come quick. There is urgent news that you must know.  
_ _Princess Peach_

He frowned a little, rereading the note before folding it and putting it in his pocket. Then, looking at the waiting Yoshi, the plumber got on the dino's back.

Once Mario was on, the Yoshi headed off in a run, since the wings had disappeared, back to the Mushroom Kingdom.

* * *

"Mama Mia!" Mario exclaimed. "What do you mean? Are you sure?"

Peach nodded gravely, looking from the plumber to Daisy, who stood beside her, outside the castle.

The brunette nodded as well. "I'm sure," she said softly, pulling out a folded note. "I'm not sure what happened, but I guess Luigi was on his way over to see me before…Well…" Hesitantly, she gave Mario the piece of paper.

Taking it, the plumber carefully unfolded it. He wasn't able to make out much of the hurried writing, greatly contrasting Luigi's normal penmanship, but he was able to make out a few words: 'Daisy', 'Mario', 'Bowser', and 'help'.

"How did this get to you?" Mario asked, handing the note back to Daisy.

"A Yoshi brought it," she replied. "I guess he was riding on one when he was attacked."

He thought for a minute. It made a little sense that Luigi would visit Daisy, especially if he knew Mario would be late meeting him. Riding a Yoshi was the fastest way to get from her to the mansion, so that also made sense.

It was the note that bothered him. Scribbled as the note was, Luigi had time to write it and instruct the Yoshi where to go in order for it to take the note to Daisy. Or at least that was what he could assume if Luigi wasn't close enough for Daisy to see his attack. So, if he had time to write the note and tell the Yoshi where to go, didn't Luigi have time to defend himself? He was capable of doing so, even against Bowser.

Maybe he was just thinking too much about it.

"Mario," Peach said suddenly, pointing behind him, "look!"

Turning, the plumber watched as a swarm of flying enemies – mainly paratroopas and swoopers – seemed to migrate in a certain direction.

"They must be going to Bowser," Mario said thoughtfully. Glancing from them to the Yoshi, he quickly got on it. Looking at the princesses, he said, "We'll be back soon."

Daisy and Peach watched as Mario and the Yoshi ran of, following the flock of Bowser lackeys. "I hope he's okay," Daisy said softly.

Knowing what she meant, the blond looked at the other and smiled. "Don't worry," she replied reassuringly, "I'm sure he's fine."

Looking at the other Daisy smiled faintly and nodded, following as Peach led her inside the castle.

Unnoticed by the princesses was a small orb-shaped, quickly following the path Mario took.


	3. Chapter 2

On a large monitor in the center of what seemed like a throne room was an image of Mario riding a Yoshi, heading through a dense forest. On the overly-large throne sat Bowser, watching eagerly.

"So, the plan seems to be working," he muttered to himself, his claws tapping the arm rest of his throne.

"You sound surprised," a voice suddenly said softly.

The evil creature didn't need to look to know who was there. "Not surprised, I'm simply stating."

Luigi stepped up next to the throne, his eyes focused on the monitor. "Well, it's no doubt that this plan would work," he replied.

"You seem to know your brother well for two who spend hardly any time together."

The younger plumber shrugged slightly, folding his arms across his torso. "I know him well enough……"

"Well, in any case, he followed exactly how we hoped he would. The problem is getting him vulnerable enough for _that_ part in the plan."

"We just need to follow the plan exactly," the man said, "and we'll have him right where we want him. You remember what to do with him, I assume."

"Of course I do," the giant reptile replied, still focused on the screen. "I've waited too long to destroy him, but this plan will lead to that in good time."

Luigi continued to watch his brother on the screen, his serious sapphire eyes dark, even in the light. He inhaled deeply, releasing that breath shakily.

"At any rate," Bowser said then, breaking the thick silence, "Mario approaches. We should set up the next part of our plan. I believe that's for you to arrange, isn't it?"

"Yes," Luigi replied, finally tearing his eyes away from the image of his brother. "I suppose I should get ready for his arrival."

The man turned, slowly heading out of the large room. When out of Bowser's presence, he sighed softly as he continued on his way.

* * *

Mario watched as a large castle loomed over the horizon, and the flying enemies continued until they disappeared over the palace wall. Frowning, he beckoned for the Yoshi to continue closer.

He had gathered some times just in case, and had some power stars with him. He figured that would be enough.

As they approached the castle, Mario couldn't help but noticed how much bigger this one was compared to all the others Bowser had. He figured the castles were only so big to confuse him and get him lost.

But he didn't have time to get lost. He had to find and rescue his younger brother.

Mario hoped Luigi was all right. What did Bowser want with him anyway? Normally, Bowser would kidnap Princess Peach in an attempt to take over the Mushroom Kingdom.

But Luigi……What could Bowser do with Luigi?

The plumber was jarred out of his thoughts when the Yoshi stopped suddenly, nearly throwing him off and into the moat.

Wait……a moat?

Figures.

Getting off the dino, Mario looked around, wondering if there was a way in the castle. With the moat, using the Yoshi was out of the question, since Yoshi's really hated water. Not that he'd endanger it by taking it into Bowser's castle anyway.

As he examined the area surrounding the palace, he noticed an area of rather tall trees filled with berries. Thinking about it for a moment, Mario then got back on the Yoshi, leading it to the trees.

As soon as it noticed the berries, the Yoshi gave a joyous cry, jumping up into the tree and onto the lowest branch. Happily, it began eating the sweet fruit.

Getting off the dino, Marion then began climbing higher in the tree. From branch to branch, he pulled himself higher and higher until he reached the top. Looking out, he sighed when he could see the tip of the large castle. Vaguely wondering how the tree was able to match the height of the castle, he thought for a moment. He needed to add a bit to this plan.

How was he going to get across?

Looking around, Mario noticed that the castle had small platforms on the lower levels, just barely jutting out from castle windows. Thinking for a moment, the plumber decided that Luigi would be held either in the lowest or highest level of the palace. But no matter where his brother was being held, he knew that he first had to get _in_ the castle before he could do anything else.

It was a risk. But he had to take it.

Carefully standing on the very tip of the tree, Mario inhaled deeply before jumping off as far out as he can towards the castle.

It was a long shot………

A _very_ long shot.

Just as he was beginning to doubt what he was doing, his fingers grasped the edge of a balcony, and he sighed in slight relief. He pulled himself up onto the edge, jumping onto the stone. Looking around to make sure the area was clear of enemies, Mario slowly entered through the castle window.

He walked down the dark hall, trying to figure which way to go. The greatest possibilities were either the highest or lowest points of the castle, but there was also the chance that Luigi would be held anywhere in between. The gargantuan castle could have had over hundreds of rooms, just from the size of it. Where was he going to start?

Mario was jarred out of his thoughts roughly when something rain into him, knocking the wind out of him as he hit the ground. Looking up, he frowned as a Koopa Troopa stood there, blocking his way.

Getting to his feet, the plumber pulled out a fire flower, feeling the heat from it transfer into his own body. A fireball then formed in his free hand, and he threw it at the Koopa, knocking it out.

Mario, unfortunately, didn't have time to celebrate as something knocked into him from behind, causing the fire flower to fly out of his hand. Looking up, he watched as another Koopa, landing in front of a legion of Koopas and Goombas, crushed the fire flower.

The man sighed softly. This was going to take a while.

* * *

Mario stood with his back against the wall, glancing around the corner to see if any more enemies were there.

After defeating the Koopas and Goombas, he had found the staircase and opted to head down. As he made his way down the stairs, down the hall and checking rooms, he had encountered more Koopas and Goombas (including Para Troopas and Goombas), magic Koopas, Koopa bones, Bullet Bills, Thwomps, Thwimps, and many other things he couldn't remember the names of. He used all but one of the objects he gathered, along with most of his power stars, just to get passed all the enemies he had to face.

The only good thing about fighting all these enemies was that it meant he must have been on the right track to finding Luigi. After all, the heavier the security, the better the chance of their guarding something. Or rather, some _one_.

Looking around a little more, Mario noticed a large metal door at the end of the dark hall where he was. Looking around again, he pushed himself away from the wall, and headed towards the door. Pushing it open, he carefully slipped inside.

The many caged cells indicated that Mario had found the dungeons, lit by small torches along the walls in the cages. Slowly, the man walked along, looking for any sign of his brother.

What he found made his heart leap in his chest.

In the very last cage on the right was Luigi, leaning heavily against the wall as he sat on the cold, dirty ground. His emerald hat, spotless as always, rested on his head, the bill covering over his eyes. His clothes, usually neat and well kept, were now covered with dirt, messed and torn. Luigi's breath was barely detectable, only noticed by the slow rising and falling of the chest.

Looking around, Mario found a ring with a key hanging nearby. Figuring the single key opened all the cells, he hurried over, grabbed the key, and went back to Luigi's cell. Carefully, he stuck the key in the lock.

Suddenly, white waves of electricity shot out of the key hole, conducted by the metal key, traveling up the plumber's body and forcing a strangled gasp from the plumber's throat. The electricity cut through Mario, zapping every part of him and leaving nothing left.

Then, the lock exploded, sending Mario flying back and hitting the caged door of the opposite cell. He groaned, blinked to clear his vision but not succeeding.

A low, distorted laugh reached his ears as a blurred object suddenly appeared in his line of view. Then, blissful darkness washed over him.


	4. Chapter 3

The first thing that Mario was fully aware of as he returned to the conscious world was the pain that pulsed throughout his entire body, but especially in his head. He groaned, trying to remember what had happened as he slowly rose to his feet. But the room suddenly lurched underneath him, trying to throw him to the ground again. Somehow he managed to steady himself by placing his hand to the concrete wall and leaning against it heavily, trying to catch his breath as he fought the pain and dizziness that coursed through him.

"Mama Mia…" he mumbled to himself, placing his free hand to his temple to dispel the throbbing pressure that was building there. He sighed softly as the pain was finally beginning to subside. Looking up, he blinked rapidly to help his eyes adjust to the sudden darkness that he found himself in.

"What's the matter, Mario?" a low voice growled suddenly. "Can't see anything?"

And he flinched suddenly when a torch was lit just above him and filled his vision with light. Rubbing his eyes a little, he turned his head slightly to look towards the direction where the voice had originated from. There, watching him from just beyond the steel bars that trapped him in the small cell, stood the evil king Bowser. The giant turtle held a wicked smirk in his blood-red eyes, and the plumber felt a strange mix of anger for his long-term enemy…and concern.

Mostly because he no longer knew where Luigi was.

Slowly, he lowered his hand to his back pocket and tried to locate one of the few items he had left. But the koopa king watched him carefully before letting out a small chuckle.

"I don't believe you'll find anything," Bowser retorted. "While you were passed out, we managed to find the last of your power items which are now being safeguarded somewhere else."

The hero growled softly, straightening himself out and leaning against the stone wall behind him. "All right, Bowser," he said, doing his best to keep his tired voice from wavering, "what's your plan this time? What are you up to?"

For a moment, the king gave no reply. Then his sinister grin seemed to broaden. "I think…" the monstrous turtle said softly, "that I'll let my… accomplice explain the details."

And when Bowser took a few steps to the side, Mario felt his heart catch in his throat as his sapphire eyes widened. For standing slightly behind the evil king, arms folded across his torso, was his younger brother.

"Luigi!" He shot himself forward, running up to the bars and grasping two of them as he stuck his head between them. He knew something was wrong. As he looked on at his younger brother, noticing the cold indifference in his dark eyes, he felt the surge of fear and concern that grew within him.

Turning his attention to the villain, he glared. "What did you do to him?" he demanded.

"Bowser didn't do a thing to me," the younger plumber replied softly, though his harsh tone was clear. "I simply made a choice, that's all."

Slightly startled, the hero turned back to his brother. "What…?"

"Bowser offered me a choice. And as you can see, I've chosen to help him destroy the Mushroom Kingdom."

Mario's eyes widened slightly. "Destroy…the Mushroom Kingdom…?"

Luigi nodded once, the impassive gaze never leaving his features. "That's right. Even as we speak, we're slowly heading towards the Mushroom Kingdom. At the rate we're going, we won't get there until tomorrow morning, but it'll be worth the wait. Because when we finally arrive, Bowser will destroy everything and build his own kingdom on top of the remains. From that point, we should have enough power to overtake the neighboring kingdoms as well. Nothing will be able to stop us…" The taller man paused for a moment as a notion seemed to pass through his mind. It was fleeting, however, as he added coldly, "Well…except for you. But that's why you're here."

The older brother frowned slightly in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"What do you think I mean? You're usually the one to defeat Bowser in his attempts to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom. If nothing was done to stop you, then there was a good chance that you'd foil his plans now."

"I would have been satisfied enough just destroying you along with the rest of the Mushroom Kingdom," the koopa king interjected suddenly as he gazed at the prisoned plumber. With a smirk, he then turned his attention to Luigi. "But your brother…I must say, I'm very impressed. After all, this was all his idea."

"What was your idea?" Mario questioned, looking at his brother as well.

"It didn't seem that getting you out of the way would be enough," the taller man replied. "I thought that, instead of destroying you right away, we could bring you here and have you watch as we destroyed the Mushroom Kingdom – the kingdom you spend so much time trying to protect – while you couldn't do anything to help. You know…to let you suffer a little."

Mario felt as though his heart had stopped. Had Luigi really come up with such a plan? Did his own brother really conceive a way to 'make him suffer,' as he had said? "Why…why are you doing this?" he found himself asking, his voice just barely above a whisper. He just couldn't believe that his brother was working with one of their worst enemies.

But the green-clad plumber didn't answer. He simply shrugged and turned his gaze away.

However, the silence didn't last for too long as Bowser felt the need to answer for the other. "I suppose jealousy simply drives people to do strange things…"

It was a comment that the hero hadn't been expecting. "Jealousy?"

"Indeed. After all, with you hogging the attention all the time, it was bound to happen eventually. Two brothers, but only enough room in the spotlight for one while the other is left out in the cold. There's going to be a little resentment somewhere."

He found himself gripping the bars tighter as he stared at the other. "So you're doing this because you're _jealous_? You're willing to destroy an entire kingdom and endanger all those lives because you're _jealous_? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!"

Luigi still gave no answer, which only angered him even further at this point. He didn't really have much of a temper, and so he had never been so outraged by anyone before. Not even Bowser, and most certainly not his brother. But for some reason, he felt so infuriated. He couldn't explain why. All he knew was that the longer he watched the other, the more frustrated he felt.

"I can't believe you! I can't believe that you could do something like this!" He shook the bars of his cell door slightly, as if hoping they'd come loose. "Do you remember that Princess Daisy is also at the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"Of course I do," the green-clad plumber replied, finally looking at his older brother once again with callous sapphire eyes. "I sent her the note, didn't I? It just seemed to feel a little more…believable if I sent _her_ the note instead of Princess Peach."

"So that was part of your plan too?" Mario shot, glaring at the other. "She was worried about you! She was afraid that something happened to you! And you were just _using_ her?"

The plumbers' conversation was suddenly interrupted by a thunderous laugh. Turning to the taller one, Bowser said, "I was wondering why you wanted to involve Daisy. I wasn't aware that there was something between the two of you."

Luigi turned his gaze away from both of them, looking up at the ceiling apathetically. However, a trace of color faintly stained his usually-pale features.

The turtle king laughed once more. "If you want, I could send some of my minions to retrieve her for you before we destroy the palace. Would that be all right with you?"

The younger man stood silently for a moment, continuing to stare at the ceiling. After a few minutes, he turned back to Bowser and nodded slightly. "Yes, I suppose that would be all right," he replied softly.

"What?" the older brother said, staring at them with wide eyes. "You can't treat her like that!"

"Well, wouldn't that be better than killing her off like everyone else?" Luigi retorted.

"Are you _serious_? Are you really willing to kill everyone in the kingdom?"

"Perhaps not everyone…" Bowser said. "If Peach is willing to beg for mercy, I may consider bringing her here as well."

Mario scoffed softly. "Don't count on it."

The evil king opened his mouth to respond, but was cut short by a low rumble that caused the entire cellar to quake. Gasping softly, the shorter plumber held the bars tighter as he felt his balance falter. If he hadn't, he would have fallen to the floor.

But as he watched his brother and the giant koopa, he noticed that they didn't seem to be surprised at all. So what did the shaking mean then if they weren't worried about it?

When the room finally stilled, Luigi straightened his cap as he glanced up at Bowser. "We're reaching our power's limits," he said softly.

"I know," Bowser replied. "But it's already being taken care of."

"What's going on?" Mario asked, watching them both. "What happened?"

"That…is the main key to our plan," evil turtle stated. Pointing to a window obstructed with metallic bars behind the plumber, he added, "Why don't you take a look out there and see?"

Frowning as he looked at the villain suspiciously, the shorter brother slowly released his firm grip on the metal bars and took a step back. Then, turning around fully, he gradually made his way to the window and looked past the bars.

When he did, his eyes widened significantly as he felt all the air depart from his body.

Not only because, as he looked out the window he realized that they were flying very high off the ground (were they still in the castle?), but because the thick forest beneath them was glowing with a dark blue light that seemed to originate from underneath their current location.

And then he watched in alarm when the forest below suddenly disappeared as the cobalt radiance flashed brightly before fading away into the evening sky, leaving only a blank hole in the ground. Soon the room shook slightly, and he witnessed the land move beneath them. Was the castle…moving?

He spun around to face Bowser and Luigi. "What was _that_?" he asked. "I-I mean…what happened to the forest?"

The evil king smirked slightly. "We…recycled the forest, that's all."

The confusion never left Mario's face. "What?"

"We used the forest to power the castle's energy source," the giant koopa answered. "The light that you saw was a special beam that broke down the trees and everything in it to provide for the castle's energy. That's how the castle manages to fly…" The smirk then seemed to broaden. "And it can do so much more than that."

The hero didn't really like the sound of that. But he still was a little uncertain about the details of the villain's plan.

He was drawn out of his thoughts as his brother's voice reached his ears. "Basically," Luigi said, "our plan is to destroy the Mushroom Kingdom by breaking it down the same way we broke the trees in the forest down. When we do, the castle will receive a massive amount of power which we will then use to overthrow other kingdoms. Depending on how much energy is given off by the process, the castle could very well become invincible."

"And don't you feel honored," Bowser added derisively, "that you get to be up here to watch it all as it happens before you're destroyed as well?"

Mario stared at them, his mouth agape and his eyes wide with disbelief. Could this really be happening? Had Bowser finally come up with a successful plan to take over the Mushroom Kingdom? There had to have been a way for him to stop the evil koopa. But trapped in that cell with none of his items to help him…and with no idea of how to get out or what to do…He hated to admit defeat, especially with so many lives counting on him, but what could he do? Had Bowser…finally won? How could this have happened?

But the idea hit him swiftly…and painfully. Was the only reason that Bowser finally prevailed…because of Luigi?

He was tugged back to reality by the movement of Bowser turning to face his brother. "At any rate," the turtle king said, "I think it's best that we take our leave and get some rest. After all, tomorrow we will have much work to do."

Turning slightly, the giant koopa then began to slowly tread through the dungeon towards the exit. Watching the king, Luigi lingered for a minute before beginning to follow.

Mario gasped when he saw his brother beginning to leave. "Luigi…!" he called.

Stopping in his tracks, the younger brother turned his head slightly to glance at the other over his shoulder.

"Just think about what you're doing…" the shorter man pleaded softly. "All those people in the Mushroom Kingdom…Peach and Daisy…You're about to destroy all those lives. After everything we've been through together, after all the time we've spent trying to protect the kingdom…How can you do this, Luigi?"

By this point, Bowser had come to a halt as well, watching the exchange between the two with mild curiosity. He watched as Luigi stared at the other for a moment in silence. Then the evil king saw the faint sign of a smirk appear on the taller man's features before turning his back on his brother completely and began following him once again.

Mario watched as his brother caught up to the koopa, the two of them headed out of the dungeon area. When they were gone, the sound of a heavy door slammed behind them, darkening the area even further than before. Sighing heavily, the hero turned and sat on the cold, hard ground, feeling the iron bars press into his back. Head hung in defeat, he stared at the stone floor as the torch on the wall across from him danced with its dim light, tossing the shadows back and forth before it completely went out. But he continued to gaze at the space in front of him. The darkness didn't matter to him at all.

He was trapped in a dungeon cell under Bowser's castle, which he planned to use to destroy the entire Mushroom Kingdom. He had nothing to help him, not even the slightest clue. And even if could find a way to escape, the only way to stop Bowser was to defeat him…and Luigi.

But he could never fight his own brother.

So was this it then? Had his younger brother – the one who was often by his side protecting innocent people and stopping Bowser's evil plots – really turned against him this time? Was he really going to give up everything he believed in – everything they both believed in – to help Bowser triumph at long last? Had Luigi – who had always supported him, helped him, and been there for him in the past – really betrayed him?

It was that thought that left the biggest hole in his heart.


	5. Chapter 4

He wasn't sure how much time had passed or how far they had gone. Every time he looked out the window, the dark night sky continued to hide everything below him. And he didn't know how much longer it would be until they arrived at the Mushroom Kingdom. All he could do was sit in his cell and try to get some sleep before morning.

But how was he supposed to sleep knowing what was going to happen? Wasn't there anything he could do to stop it?

Slowly, his eyes opened when the sound of soft footsteps and hushed voices reached his ears. Looking up, he watched as a faint light began to approach his cell, gradually becoming brighter as it neared. Pushing against the stone wall, Mario got to his feet as the light and footsteps drew closer. The light had to have been coming from somewhere. Someone was coming to see him…but for what?

Soon, the light appeared in his line of vision, just beyond the bars that held him in his prison cell. It was generated from the wand of a green-cloaked magic Koopa, who looked in at him from behind large swirled glasses. Standing behind the first one was a green-shelled Koopa Troopa.

"What do you want?" the plumber asked, leaning against the wall as he watched the two Koopas warily.

"Shh…" the Koopa Troopa said in a low tone. "Keep it down or we'll get caught."

Mario blinked a little. "What?"

"Listen," the magic Koopa said gently, "my name is Millie, and this is Kooper. We're…"

"Millie, we don't have time for this!" the regular koopa said urgently.

She turned to him. "Well we have to explain something to him at least! What else are we supposed to do?"

The koopa frowned in annoyance. "All right fine, just make it quick, okay?"

Nodding slightly, the magician turned back to the confused hero. "Anyway," she said, "as I was trying to say before…We're friends of your brother."

"Friends…of Luigi?"

She nodded again. "Yes…and we…"

Mario crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at the ground. "So did Luigi send you here to torture me or something?" he asked bitterly.

"What?" Millie questioned in bewilderment. "No…of course not. We're…here to help you."

The man looked up at her, surprised. "To…help me?"

"Didn't he tell you about the plan?"

"What plan?"

"Of course Luigi didn't tell him about the plan," Kooper said as though it was the most obvious statement in the world. "He didn't even tell _us_ all of it until after his whole meeting here with Bowser."

"Okay, wait," Mario said, holding up his hands. "What is going on here?"

"We'll have to explain it later," the Koopa Troopa said. "We really don't have the time to do so now." Turning to Millie, he nodded slightly.

Nodding in return, the magician brought her wand close to the lock on the cell door, whispering softly. The light on the end began to glow a little brighter as she continued her soft chanting, when suddenly it went out completely and left the three of them in darkness.

"Millie!"

"Sorry!" she replied, embarrassed. "Don't forget, I'm a magic Koopa _in training_. I still haven't learned all my magic completely yet."

Kooper sighed softly. "We're all dead…"

"Shut up! How about _you_ try breaking the lock with _your_ magic?"

The regular koopa didn't reply, though grumbled softly under his breath.

"Yeah. That's what I thought." Mario winced a little when the light from Millie's wand abruptly shone again. Rubbing his eyes a little, he then watched as she once again chanted a spell, waving her wand in front of the lock. After a little while, the sound of a soft click reached their ears, and with a grin the magic Koopa swung the cell door open.

Turning to the other koopa, she said victoriously, "See? I told you I could do it."

Rolling his eyes and shaking his head, Kooper sighed before turning to Mario. "Come on," he said, motioning for the plumber to follow. "We've gotta get going."

The man frowned slightly, watching them carefully. Where were they going to take him? How could he even trust them? They claimed to be friends of his brother…but there were still so many questions that troubled his mind that he wasn't sure what to think.

"Hey!" he heard Kooper say suddenly, though the turtle did his best to keep his voice down. "We don't have time to stand around! I'll explain everything to you later, but we have to get going now!"

Hesitating for only a few more seconds, the hero nodded slightly and quickly followed them as they led him out and away from his cell towards the dungeon doors. But instead of opening the doors, he watched as the two koopas turned towards the right wall. He blinked a little in confusion until the light from Millie's wand revealed what lay under the darkness.

"A pipe?" he asked softly as he finally caught up to the two.

"Yeah," Kooper said as he jumped up to grab the edge of the large green pipe that protruded out of the stone wall. Slowly climbing up until he was sitting in the opening, he looked at the plumber. "Luigi's waiting for us in the room where this pipe leads to."

"Where's that?"

"The garbage room," Millie replied.

"Garbage room?" Mario repeated as he was reaching up to grasp the koopa's offered hand.

Kooper carefully pulled the plumber up into the pipe, scooting back as he did so until they were both sitting in the green tube. "Yes," he replied heavily. "It was the only place we could think of where there was virtually no chance of getting caught. No one ever goes into the garbage room."

"Just be careful you guys, okay?" Millie said as she stepped away from the pipe.

The man frowned as he looked at her. "Aren't you coming with us?" he asked.

She shook her head slightly. "No…I have to stay here."

"You be careful too," the Koopa Troopa said from behind the plumber. "Your transformation spell won't last for more than a few hours. Hopefully it won't take that long."

"Hopefully," she agreed softly. "Now get going, you two." Before either of them could reply, Millie turned and headed back down through the dungeon, disappearing as the darkness followed behind her.

Mario turned to the turtle. "Transformation spell?" he inquired.

"She's going to use the spell to pretend to be you," Kooper replied, turning slightly so that his back was facing the man. "Just in case Bowser sends someone to check in on your cell. Come on, we gotta go." Slowly, the turtle began to crawl through the dark pipe.

Looking at the dark green tube through the darkness, Mario hesitantly followed on his hands and knees. The pipe was smaller than the transport pipes he was accustomed to. The normal pipelines were usually large enough for him to stand to his full height. For this particular pipe, however, he was a little surprised that the Koopa Troopa could crawl through it without his shell scraping against the top.

"So…what's going on?" he finally asked the turtle softly.

Kooper sighed softly. "So far, everything that's happened has been part of a plan that Luigi came up with," he stated.

The plumber blinked a little. "What?"

"After Luigi was captured by Bowser, he was asked if he'd join Bowser in destroying the Mushroom Kingdom and getting rid of you."

"Yeah, I remember that," Mario said softly, wincing a little as the painful conversation he had had earlier with the two echoed between his ears. "He accepted it, though, didn't he?"

"Actually, he only pretended to accept."

"Huh?"

"Luigi agreed to join Bowser, but only because he needed to figure out what Bowser was planning to do. Of course Bowser wouldn't tell him unless he agreed to work for him. That…and if he didn't agree, Bowser would have tried to kill him on the spot."

"Really?"

Kooper nodded slightly. "It was the only way he could survive and get Bowser to trust him so that Bowser would tell him what he was planning."

He sighed softly, relieved to know that Luigi hadn't turned against him after all. The other had been a very convincing actor. He had thought for sure that Luigi had become evil. But then again, Mario could never imagine his younger brother as the type to betray those he cared for and join their greatest enemy. If Luigi's strange behavior was all just part of an act to get Bowser to trust him, then he'd be able to get close enough in order to stop him. It was a great plan. Still, there was something he wanted to know.

"So, if Luigi was just pretending to work with Bowser in order to stop him, why am I here?"

"A few reasons…" the turtle replied, glancing back at the hero as they continued to crawl through the pipe. "See, Luigi said that he _had_ to get you up here. If he hadn't, then Bowser either would have gotten rid of you before destroying the Mushroom Kingdom, or you would have stopped him too late."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, think about it. Your brother sent the fake help note to Princess Daisy, who went to show it to Princess Peach, who sent for you so that you could rescue him. Now, if he hadn't, where would you be?"

"Well…in the Mushroom Kingdom, I guess."

"Right. And you'd have no idea that Bowser was on his way in this castle to destroy the place. You'd still be looking for your brother. The only time you would have found out about the castle is when it was already in view of the kingdom."

The entire concept finally clicked in the man's head. "So, if I was still in the kingdom, I wouldn't have known about this castle until I saw it in the sky. It probably would have started destroying things by the time I saw it. And if that happened, then I probably wouldn't have been able to stop it, and Bowser would have gotten rid of me…"

"Right," the koopa replied. "Or…when you saw the castle destroying part of the kingdom, you would have found a way in and then would have been able to stop Bowser…"

"But it would have been too late anyway," Mario finished softly, "because Bowser would have already ruined part of the kingdom…maybe even killed some people."

"That's right. And that's what Luigi thought too. So he figured that the only way to make sure that didn't happen would be to have you brought up here before the castle reached the Mushroom Kingdom so that you could hopefully stop it from destroying the place. But of course, he couldn't tell Bowser all of that. He still needed to keep Bowser's trust."

"So he told Bowser that he'd lure me up here as a trap," the plumber said, nodding a little.

"Yeah. And of course, he had to go through with it and really make it look like a trap."

"Right…" Mario rubbed the back of his neck, vaguely remembering the violent shock he received when he tried to "free" Luigi from the cell. But he could now understand why the younger plumber had acted the way he did during their meeting in the dungeons, and why the trap had been set the way it had. If it had seemed too obvious that Luigi was trying to get him into the castle so they could both stop Bowser's plan, most likely they would have been caught. Then the evil Koopa would have done all he could just to get rid of the both of them.

Yet there was still an important question that hung in his mind. Luigi had been pretending to side with Bowser so he could learn of the king's plan to take over the kingdom. When he had learned of the plot, couldn't he have done something to stop it himself? Mario didn't mind that his brother had brought him up to the castle in order to help him stop the koopa king. He just found it a little strange that the other decided not to take care of the situation on his own even though he was capable of doing so.

Continuing to crawl behind the Koopa Troopa, the hero found himself with another question. "So, how did Luigi get you and Millie to help him out?" he asked.

"Well," Kooper said slowly, "I didn't come to work for Bowser on my own."

"You didn't?"

The koopa shook his head slightly. "No. Before, I was living in the Mushroom Kingdom with my younger sister, Koopchi. One day, though, she told me that she had decided to join Bowser's troops and that she was going to go find him."

Mario frowned a little. "Why would she do that?"

Kooper sighed softly, shaking his head. "I…I don't really know myself. We used to talk to each other about everything…So when she told me of her plans, I was really…shocked. She wouldn't…tell me anything else about it. She never explained her reasons for doing it. She just insisted that she was going to join Bowser, and that her mind was set."

"But…what does that have to do…with why _you're_ here?"

"I couldn't…I couldn't just let her go by herself, y'know? I'm her older brother, after all. So I offered to go with her."

"Oh…" Mario nodded slightly. "I see. So where is she now?"

"Well, I…I don't…really know…"

The plumber frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

"See, we came here together, but we eventually got separated from each other. I haven't…seen her for months now…I don't know where she is…or what happened to her. I wasn't sure what to do…until Luigi was brought here."

"Luigi? What happened when Luigi was brought here?"

"Well, when we found out that Bowser was planning on making a deal with your brother, I figured that he would be able to find out what happened to my sister. Bowser then assigned me to help Luigi out with the plans that the two of them came up with to capture you. When I found out about what Luigi was really up to, I offered to help him if he could discover where my sister was."

"And?" the hero asked softly. "Did Luigi find out?"

"Yeah…" the turtle replied tightly. "He found out."

The man winced a little as he recognized the resentment and anger in the other's voice. "Bad news?"

"Bowser told Luigi that Koopchi 'disappeared' shortly after arriving. But we both figured that he really meant that he got rid of her…And when Luigi gave me the news, he also gave me the ring that Koopchi had received from our mother when we were younger. She never goes anywhere without it."

"So…she's gone then?"

Looking up, Mario suddenly stopped when he realized that the Koopa Troopa in front of him had stopped crawling as well. "I mean…I know Koopchi could be kind of clumsy…but she's still helpful…And I couldn't figure out why Bowser would want to get rid of her in the first place. When I found out, I felt so angry…but the anger was mostly at myself…for not being able to help her. I should have been able to help her…to protect her…from anything. I'm her older brother, and I'm supposed to have been able to help her when she needed me…but I wasn't."

Before the plumber could say anything, the turtle had started crawling through the pipe again, forcing him to follow. "I meant it when I said that I'd help Luigi stop Bowser before…But when Luigi gave me Koopchi's ring and told me she was gone, it was something that I ended up really wanting to do…"

Mario remained silent for a moment, unsure of what to say, swallowing thickly as he hesitated to bring the subject up again, or say something wrong that could further upset the Koopa Troopa. He was beginning to wish that he hadn't asked his question in the first place.

"Anyway," he heard Kooper say suddenly, "that's why _I_ decided to Luigi out. Millie decided to help out…to return the favor."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, you know how Millie's a magic Koopa in training, right?"

"Yeah…" Mario replied slowly, having heard so early in the dungeons.

"Well, that's because she's a young magic Koopa, much younger than the ones that you normally see. And the other magic Koopas were never really fond of her. She didn't really fit in with them, or with anyone actually. She spent most of her time practicing her magic on her own, but she could never tell if she was getting better or not.

"When Bowser brought Luigi to this castle, Luigi and I ended up running into her when I was showing him around while Bowser was waiting for you to arrive. Somehow…the two of them started talking. She ended up tagging along while I was still giving him the tour. I guess she didn't feel so…alone…when she was talking with Luigi. When he and I were discussing his idea to stop Bowser and save the Mushroom Kingdom, she automatically volunteered to help him out, probably because that way she wouldn't feel so…left out as she did with the other magic Koopas. In a way, Luigi helped her, and so she wanted to help him in return."

And the man couldn't help but smile a little. No matter how timid his younger brother was, he still had such a nice, gentle side that could reach out to those who needed it.

Noticing that Kooper had stopped crawling again, Mario blinked as he stopped behind the other. "Okay," he heard the turtle say, "from here, the pipe curves to head downwards. It leads straight to the garbage room." Turning towards the plumber, the koopa continued, "When we get there, the pipe stops short just near the ceiling, so it's about a fifty foot drop from the end of the pipe to floor. Okay?"

"All right."

Nodding slightly, the turtle then quickly shifted his position so that he was sitting. Scooting forward a little, the other then slid down and disappeared.

Looking down the vertical drop of the pipe, Mario then shifted his own position so that he was sitting on the edge of the curve. Inhaling deeply, he then moved forward to allow gravity to pull him down through the pipe. He felt as though he was falling at an alarmingly fast rate, but having done this many different times, he wasn't worried. He simply continued to drop through the pipe, waiting anxiously to get to the bottom.

Suddenly the narrow green pipe opened up into a vast muddy room, and beneath him were piles of garbage that littered the ground. Swiftly he extended his arms and began twirling in the air to reduce the speed of his fall. He continued spinning like helicopter blades, gently descending until his feet touched the ground and he stopped. Fixing his crooked hat on his head, he carefully looked around.

And there, on the other side of the immense chamber – slightly hidden behind small piles of trash, talking with Kooper and standing by vine ladder that extended upward – stood his younger brother, Luigi.


	6. Chapter 5

And there, on the other side of the immense chamber – slightly hidden behind small piles of trash, talking with Kooper and standing by a vine ladder that extended upward – stood his younger brother, Luigi.

Without thinking, Mario ran forward as fast as he could through the garbage-filled room. In mere seconds, he had crossed the entire room and shot forward to tightly embrace his younger brother.

Luigi's body stiffened slightly in surprise, and he nearly fell backwards from the force that the other pounced on him. But somehow managing to keep his balance, he then hesitantly returned the embrace.

Finally after several moments, the two brothers pulled away from each other. Opening his mouth to say something, the taller man then closed it again, looking down at the ground as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. And the older plumber blinked a little as he continued to watch the other. It was so strange to see the radical difference between the brother that he had encountered in the dungeons – the cold, unfeeling personality – and the brother that he was familiar with and stood before him – timid and a little embarrassed. But even as he wondered how the other had pulled it off, he felt the wave of relief that passed through him to see his same younger brother.

"Hey Mario…" Luigi finally said then, looking up at the red-clad man, "about what happened earlier…I…um…"

"It's fine Luigi," Mario replied softly. "Kooper explained everything to me. Don't worry about it."

"Don't mean to interrupt," the Koopa Troopa said, "but we have to hurry before the castle arrives at the Mushroom Kingdom…"

The younger man nodded slightly. "Right. Were you able to get anything?"

"I checked the vault where Bowser kept all the stuff he took from Mario." The koopa retracted his arm into his forest-green shell for a second before pulling it back out again. "This was all I could get."

The short hero looked at the objects that the turtle held in his hand. "A fire flower…and two power stars? Didn't I have a few more than that?"

"The vault was in Bowser's personal chambers, and this was all I was able to grab when I heard him coming."

"These will have to do," the green plumber said, taking the stars and flower. He tucked away one star under his cap before handing the other star and flower to his brother.

As he placed the items away in his overall pockets, Mario blinked and frowned when a low rumble reached his ears. "What's that sound?" he asked.

The noise slowly began to increase and caused the dirt walls around them to vibrate. Kooper and Luigi glanced at each other nervously. Then, grabbing the other man, they quickly pulled him towards the wall.

"Hey!" Mario said. "What's going on?"

"Just stay up against the wall," the younger brother advised, standing next to him pressed against the wall as well. "The closer to the wall, the better."

"Why? What's happening?"

Luigi pointed up to the ceiling. "You'll see…"

Following the direction of his brother's finger, the shorter plumber looked up at the row of pipes that came out from above them. As he gazed on, however, he noticed that one of the pipes seemed different from all the others. While the rest of the tubes were green in appearance, the tube in the middle of the others was colored dark blue. It also seemed that the pipe itself hung lower than the others, so the opening to it was closer to the ground. It was still quite a high distance above them, but it didn't appear as high up as the pipe that he had fallen from.

As he continued to watch the strange pipe, his eyes widened when a familiar beam of light shot down from the opening and hit the floor, engulfing any piece of garbage within its glow. Looking down, he instinctively took a step back when he noticed that gleam just barely missed his foot. In a matter of seconds, all the trash that filled the room disappeared, and the azure light faded back into the pipe. Then the shaking stilled, and the room was silent.

He turned slightly when he heard Kooper and Luigi both sigh in relief. Looking back at the blue pipe briefly, he turned back to the other two. "Was that…?"

"Yeah," Luigi replied, nodding a little. "That was the same beam of light you saw earlier…the one that broke down the forest."

"The blue pipe is connected to the machine where the beam comes from," Kooper added, turning to the red-clad plumber. "You and Luigi have to get to the room where the machine is in order to shut it down."

"What about you?" Mario asked. "What are you gonna do?"

"I have to get back and keep a watch over everything…so you two have enough time to get to the room and figure out a way to stop the machine."

"All right," Luigi said, moving the cuff of his glove to reveal a small wristwatch. "How long do you think we have until we get to the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"I'm not sure, really," the turtle replied. "Three hours…maybe less."

"Okay. That should be enough time, I think." Turning to Mario, the younger brother said, "We better get going now."

The red-clad plumber nodded slightly. "Okay…"

Turning back to the Koopa Troopa, the taller man held his hand out. "Thanks for all your help…" he said softly.

Hesitating slightly, Kooper than grasped the other's hand in a brief handshake, but said nothing in reply. When the two released each other's hands, the plumbers then turned and headed toward the piranha vine ladder.

Mario waited for his younger brother to climb up the vine first. When the other had climbed up a small distance, he then grabbed the large green stem and pulled himself up while stepping on the large leaves as he climbed. Glancing down at the Koopa Troopa that was still on the ground, he paused for a moment, wondering how the turtle was going to get out of the garbage room, or where he was going to go. He didn't have a chance to say anything, however, when he saw Kooper pointing up to the pipe where they were heading. Nodding slightly, he then continued to climb up after his brother.

As the two entered the green pipe that the piranha ladder went into, the shorter plumber looked up at the other. "Where does this vine lead to anyway?" he asked.

"It heads up into my room," Luigi replied softly. "I actually wanted to put the ladder closer to the main room, but I wasn't sure where I could set this up without any risk of it being noticed."

"Why couldn't we head into the blue pipe?"

"Because that pipe is connected to the machine itself. If we climbed into it, it would have broken us down to use as energy."

"Oh…"

He saw the taller man nod slightly. "Yeah. I'm just glad that the light wasn't able to reach this, otherwise we would've never gotten out."

"Where did Bowser even get the machine in the first place?" Mario wondered aloud.

"He stole it from the professor…"

The older brother blinked slightly, looking up at the other. "The professor? You mean Professor E. Gadd? The old inventor guy who's not really in his right mind?"

"The same professor. See, E. Gadd had invented this machine just to be used as a way to get rid of excess garbage. The garbage would be broken down and transformed into energy to be used for something else. He figured that since people usually throw a lot of things away, his machine would create a lot of energy that can be put to a better use. But Bowser somehow managed to steal the professor's plans and change them for his own use."

"This castle…?"

Luigi nodded slightly. "Right. So now we have to figure out a way to stop the machine before we get to the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Well can't we just shut it off?" the red-clad plumber asked.

"No we can't. See, if we do that, there would be nothing to power the castle."

Thinking for a moment, Mario nodded as he understood what the other meant. "Then the castle wouldn't be able to stay in the air."

"Right. And even though we're not in the Mushroom Kingdom yet, there still could be people below us. If the castle suddenly just fell out of the sky, it might crush anyone that happens to be below us."

"How about we destroy it?"

"Well, we _could_ do that…except the machine is connected to the entire castle. If we destroy the machine, there's no telling what would happen to the rest of the place. It's a little risky…"

"Then what should we do?"

"The main room where the machine is also happens to be the control room. From there, we might be able to find a way to safely stop the machine and the castle before it destroys the Mushroom Kingdom."

Mario frowned a little as he mulled over his brother's words. Finally, looking up at the other again, he said, "Hey Luigi?"

"Yeah…?"

"I was just wondering…If you've figured everything out on your own already, how come you still needed me to help you?"

He was surprised when the taller man suddenly stopped climbing, forcing him to stop as well. He watched as Luigi remained that way for a moment, and he assumed the other was just trying to think of an answer. Then, he heard the other clear his throat before saying softly, "Well…I didn't really think…I could do this on my own…"

And as he continued to observe carefully as the other slowly resumed the trek up the vine ladder, his eyes widened a little when he noticed that his younger brother seemed to be…trembling.

"Luigi…" he said softly, "are you…scared?"

There was no reply at first, only the sound of soft rustling as they continued to climb up through the pipe. Finally, the green-clad plumber responded, "Are you kidding? Of course I'm scared…"

"Why are you so afraid, Luigi? This is almost like all the other times we've gone up against Bowser. We've done this kind of thing dozens of times."

"I know…I was always scared then too."

Mario blinked in disbelief. "What? How could you be scared? You were always right behind me on our adventures together, and I never saw you so nervous before."

Luigi sighed softly. "Yeah…I _was_ always behind you on our adventures. But maybe…that's why you never saw when I was afraid…"

The older brother felt as though all the air in his body had left him. "What…?"

"I just…" The taller man sighed again, this time in slight frustration. "Every time you and I went off to save Princess Peach or something, I was always…terrified when I thought about what could happen to us. I was always so scared…but I went with you because you were always so sure that everything would be okay. You were always so confident…and I guess that made me feel a little better at times. But I was still always afraid. When you would charge on, battle after battle, taking on any enemies that tried to stop you…I always stayed behind you, too scared to do anything."

"That's not true, Luigi," Mario said.

"Yes it is…" the younger brother answered back softly. "I was too scared to do anything to really help, always thinking about the bad things that could have happened. So I've always stayed behind while you moved on forward. That's why _you're_ the famous one, and I'm not…"

He felt himself flinch a little when he heard the faint bitterness in the other's voice. No matter how slight it was, or how much Luigi tried to hide it, it was still there. And he began to recall the conversation he had before with Bowser. "So was it true?" he finally asked.

"Was what true?"

"Earlier, when you and Bowser had come to see me in the dungeon, he said that you were helping him because you were jealous of me…I know that you weren't really helping him…But was it true when he said you were jealous?"

More silence followed his question for a moment as they continued to climb up the vine ladder. Finally, he heard his brother sigh once more. "I've…always been a little jealous of you Mario…" Luigi replied, his tone barely audible, "but it was never really because you were famous…or anything like that…"

Even while looking up at him from below, Mario could clearly see the upset expression on his brother's face.

"You were always so ready and willing to help people…no matter the danger or the risk. That's why you're so famous and recognized by everyone, and that's why everyone still asks for your help when something goes wrong. I've always just stood behind you, watching you or hearing about your achievements…And I've always thought…that I'm glad that it's _you_ and not _me_."

The older brother frowned. "What?"

The two continued to climb the piranha plant, but Luigi's grip on the stem tightened slightly. "Whenever I hear about something you do or someone you save…I'm always happy that you're helping people…I mean, someone has to, right? But I'm also glad because _you're_ the one doing it…not _me_. Don't get me wrong; I'd like to help if I could…but I can't…because I'm always too scared to do anything. I'm always afraid of dangerous situations…or I'm afraid that I might mess something up…and everything would go wrong because of me…You're always positive that everything will turn out fine…that's why you're always so willing to jump into anything. But I'm not like that. I'm too scared that something bad will happen. _That's_ the reason why…I envy you so much…because you're so brave…and I'm not…"

"Luigi…" Mario started to say, but stopped short when he realized that he wasn't sure how to respond to the other's words. He suddenly felt something in his chest tighten painfully, and he shook his head. "Luigi, that's not true…" he said without thinking. "None of that is true…"

"Yes…it is…" Even though he did his best to reply calmly, Luigi's voice still wavered. "Haven't you ever wondered…why I was always willing to stay at home when you were out doing something else? Haven't you ever wondered why I never went on any adventures of my own?"

"Well…yeah…"

"It's because I was too afraid to. I mean, I'm always afraid when you and I go on some kind of journey together…But when you go somewhere without me, I stay home _because_ you're not there with me. Without you telling me that it's okay, I just…I can't…"

"But what about when King Boo trapped me in that painting? You were by yourself then, and you did fine…"

"I was still scared!" the younger plumber retorted. "That night was the most terrifying experience of my life! Not only because I'm afraid of ghosts and the dark…but also because you weren't there with me…The only reason that I kept going that night was because…it was to help _you_. If it had been someone else trapped in that painting…I don't think I would have been able to keep fighting those ghosts…"

Another heavy silence settled over the two brothers. Though they continued to climb up the vine, both were distracted with troubled thoughts that overcame their minds. Finally, the older of the two said softly, "So then…you brought me up here…"

"Because…" Luigi finished for the other, "I was too scared to do this alone. I was afraid…that I'd mess this up…and that the Mushroom Kingdom would be destroyed because of me. I needed your help to stop Bowser…because I'm not brave enough to do this on my own."

Mario felt himself bite his tongue as he continued to watch his younger brother. How long, he began to wonder, had the other been this way? How could he have missed it before? Why hadn't he known…that his own brother felt or thought this way about himself? Had he been so…wrapped up in traveling and helping others…so preoccupied with jumping up and moving forward…that he had never bothered to look back and notice the one person who really needed his help the most?

He closed his eyes, feeling as though something had tightly clenched his heart. If he had known his brother's thoughts before…could he have done something about it? He had always believed that Luigi was capable of accomplishing so much, but he never realized that Luigi had thought so little of himself. If he had known of the other's thoughts before…could he have prevented his brother's insecurities?

Images of past adventures suddenly began to fill his mind, and he saw himself always willing to head off and save the day. Sometimes Luigi was there with him, and sometimes he wasn't. In every episode that replayed in his head, though, he was always the one taking charge. If he had let Luigi take the lead once in a while, could he have helped the other become more confident? He didn't ever regret helping someone when they were in need. But by always being the first one to take the risk, by always being the one to rush into danger first, had he taken away Luigi's chances of building his self-confidence?

So did that mean…that he was partly to blame for the way his younger brother thought and felt now? Was he responsible for Luigi's fear of failing? Because he had always been the one to lead the way into danger, because he was always busy with saving others, he had allowed his brother to fall where no one could reach him.

And then he recalled his conversation with Kooper…as the turtle explained how he had come to help Luigi. The story of Kooper and his sister replayed in his mind, and he could hear the Koopa Troopa's frustration for not being able to care for his younger sister…for his failure as an older brother to her. And he knew then that he had also failed as an older brother…that he had failed to protect and help his younger brother. Could he honestly say that he had done everything he could to watch over the other?

So many people thought of him as a hero. But in a way, he had taken away Luigi's belief and self-worth in himself, and then had somehow overlooked his problems. Earlier that evening, he had truly believed that Luigi had betrayed him. But in the end, he had been the one to betray his brother. What kind of a hero did something like that?

Opening his eyes again, Mario slowly looked up at the younger man as they continued up through the pipe. Now that he knew, he could see that Luigi's body still trembled slightly as they were climbing. For as long as he could remember, he had never really been frightened by the thought of danger. He had never really thought about what could happen while he was traveling from place to place, kingdom to kingdom. He had only thought about what would happen if he didn't do what he could to help. So he could only imagine what Luigi was going through…to always be afraid of doing something wrong, to always hesitate before taking any kind of action, to fear what would happen if something didn't go right. He could only imagine what it was like…to always be afraid.

Which was probably why he found himself feeling so amazed as he continued to watch his brother. Because even though Luigi was so scared, Mario could still see that the other was determined to finish what he had started. Even though the other was so afraid, he was still willing to continue on and stop Bowser from destroying an entire kingdom. Even though Luigi was filled with fear of what they were about to do, he continued on because it was the right thing to do, and it had to be done. Wasn't that…the true meaning of courage?

Just as he was about to say something, though, the shorter man suddenly saw an opening above his brother's head, filled with a faint light. He watched as Luigi climbed up the piranha plant a little higher before pulling himself out of the pipe, and he followed the other's actions. He climbed the vine up a little more until he was close enough to grasp the pipe opening with his hands. Then he hoisted himself up and sat on the edge of the tube's entrance, looking around the room.

The dim light he saw before was the glow of a small lamp that rested on a table by a small bed. Other than that, the stone-wall room was rather empty. He couldn't help but smile a little. Even being captured by the evil koopa king couldn't change Luigi's style of simplicity.

Spinning a little, Mario then pushed himself away from the pipe and turned to face the green-clad plumber. "So what now?" he asked softly.

Slowly, the taller man walked over to the door and opened it slightly, looking through the small crack out into the hallway. "Well, the coast is clear right now," he replied just as softly. "I think it's safe for us to head for the main room where the machine is. I think there are a few Koopa Troopas managing the controls, though, so we'll have to take care of them first."

The older brother nodded slightly. "Okay."

Looking back outside again, Luigi inhaled deeply before letting it out in a soft, nervous sigh. After a few seconds, he opened the door fully and headed out as he said, "Follow me…"

Nodding again, Mario slowly walked behind the other. This was the time for Luigi to take charge, and all he could do to help this time was to follow. He just hoped it would be enough.


	7. Chapter 6

Mario sighed softly as he stood with his back against the wall, carefully looking around the corner and down the hall, gazing at the giant open doorway while light poured from the room into the dim corridors. Anxiously, he tapped his fingers against the wall. 'C'mon Luigi,' he thought.

After running and twisting through the maze of the massive castle, the two brothers had finally reached the center room of the palace. And after instructing him to stay out of sight, Luigi had somehow opened the large metal doors and disappeared inside. He knew that the younger was somehow trying to get rid of the guards inside, but he wondered just how his brother would accomplish that.

But he had waited just the same. Ten minutes later, he still stood around the corner and watched for something to happen.

Soon he heard voices, and from the central room came a few Koopa Troopas and even a few Goombas, walking towards the direction where he stood. Quickly pulling his head back, he pressed himself up tighter against the wall, hoping he wouldn't be noticed by them. But he knew if they turned a corner, he'd be seen for sure.

Luckily they all passed by his hiding spot, continuing to walk straight down the hallway. Sighing in soft relief, he peaked his head around the wall and watched as the Koopa Troopas and Goombas continued on down the stone hall until they reached another corner where they turned and disappeared from sight.

Then he turned his head slightly to look back at the opened room where he saw Luigi standing in the doorway. The taller plumber motioned for him to come towards him. Looking in both directions to make sure there was no one else coming, Mario left his hiding spot and quickly jogged to where his brother was standing.

"How'd you get rid of them?" he asked, looking at the other curiously.

Luigi sighed softly, his hands shaking a little as he readjusted the cap on his head, pulling the bill up a little so it was no longer covering his eyes as much. "I just told them that their shift here was over," he finally replied softly. "I also said that they needed to get some rest before we get to the Mushroom Kingdom for the invasion, and that I would stay and wait for the next shift to come."

The hero could hear the nervousness in his brother's voice, and he wondered how the other was able to do it. Even though the younger was clearly afraid, Mario had seen his demeanor change so radically. When they first arrived at the central room and he had been instructed to stay hidden until the guards were gone, he had watched his brother pull the bill of the cap down to create a shadowy covering over his eyes, and any fear that he held seemed to disappear. He had turned back into the man that Mario had encountered in the dungeon: distant and unfeeling.

But now, as he followed the taller man past the metal doors and into the room, he could see that the fright had only been suppressed, and that it was all flooding back to him now. And he marveled at how Luigi was able to mask his anxiety so well, especially in the frightening situations where he was supposed to pretend that he wasn't scared.

He said nothing about it, however, as he finally looked around the room and his eyes widened. The whole room itself was colossal, and seemed to take up a good fourth of the entire castle. He felt as though anyone or thing could fit in that room with its spaciousness, including the house he and Luigi shared. Against the other wall was a giant computer screen and consol which depicted their current route and distance to the Mushroom Kingdom, as well as how much longer it would take to reach their destination, and he saw as his brother approached it and began typing something in one of the many keyboards.

But his eyes were focused on the machine in the very center of the room. The large silver machine towered over him and stretched up towards the high ceiling. It fell only a few feet short of reaching the top, but was connected to several blue pipes, more than he could count, that not only reached the ceiling for the machine, but also seemed to pass through it. Every once in a while, the silver hulk seemed to jump, as though trying to escape from its fix in the ground, and it would groan and hiss as…something rumbled within it.

And standing before the giant machine in the enormous room, Mario felt a slight twinge of intimidation.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, the red-clad plumber walked over to where his brother stood. "What are you doing?" he asked.

Luigi continued typing on the keyboard, occasionally glancing up at the monitor. "I'm trying to find a way to stop this castle from reaching the Mushroom Kingdom," he replied softly as he paused, tapping his fingers before quickly typing again.

The older brother looked up at the monitor as well, focusing on the map that showered where both the castle and Mushroom Kingdom were. "We're about to enter the kingdom…Then it'll only be two hours before we get to Peach's castle."

"I know…" the younger answered, rubbing the back of his neck while he tried to think. "And once we get to her castle, this one will be on its last supply of power and will automatically attempt to get more."

Mario bit his tongue. He knew what that meant. "Can't you reprogram it or something?"

"Even if I could, it won't do much good. If I reprogram it and it doesn't get anymore energy, it'll shut down and fall out of the air, just like if we just shut the machine off."

"Well, what if you turned it around or something? We haven't entered the Mushroom Kingdom yet."

Luigi shook his head slightly. "That could work if I was _able_ to do that…but to change any command, I'd need the password."

The shorter man frowned in slight puzzlement. "Couldn't you have asked one of the guards for the password before they left?"

"It wouldn't have done too much good, Mario. They were just keeping watch over everything, but they don't know the password. There's only one person who knows it…"

"…And that would be me."

Before the two brothers could turn around, they gasped as they were suddenly seized by their arms, immobilized and unable to fight back. Still they struggled, but the holds of the four Hammer Bros were too strong for them in their normal states.

Then the Hammer Bros forced the two plumbers to face the doorway as heavy footsteps echoed through the hall. And they watched as Bowser slowly entered the room, glaring at the two with a burning hate in his eyes.

Suddenly he smirked, motioning to the Hammer Bros. "Bring Luigi to me…" he commanded.

"No!" Mario said, trying hard to twist out of his captors' grips. But they grasped him firmly, and he could only watch as the other two minions slowly began to drag his brother towards the Koopa King.

Luigi's struggles increased as he desperately tried to get free, his heart racing faster and his hands shaking more with ever inch closer he got to the evil king. Vainly he dug his heels into the grooves of the stone floor, trying to prevent himself from going any farther. But the Hammer Bros that held him continued to roughly pull him along.

Bowser gave a low chuckle as the green-clad plumber stood before him, still trying to break free from the two hammer turtles. "You surprise me, Luigi," he hissed. "Even now, you still have some fight in you. And I certainly never expected that you'd have the courage to actually defy me." His malicious smirk deepened. "Then again, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised…After all, I wasn't really planning to spare your life anyway…"

The taller man's resistance faded slowly until he gave up completely, staring in slight disbelief at the monstrous turtle. "I-I…I mean…you…h-how did…?"

"How did I discover your plans?" Bowser finished for him mockingly. Then he laughed. "You didn't honestly expect to really keep any secrets from me in _my_ castle, did you? I have eyes and ears everywhere, and it only took a matter of time for your true plans to be revealed."

A scowl appeared on the King's features, and the Hammer Bros abruptly released Luigi. He had little time to react, however, as Bowser's sharp claws wrapped tightly around his neck and hoisted him up into the air.

Mario's eyes widened, his struggles beginning anew. "Luigi!"

The younger brother gasped softly, his feet kicking as he ineffectively struggled to be released from the giant turtle's iron grasp. But the more he fought, the more air he lost and the more he needed to breathe. And the hold quickly began to suffocate him, preventing him from gaining the air he urgently required. What made the situation worse was the slight stinging of the pointed claws pressing against his skin, and he could feel them push deeper into him. He clenched his teeth together, attempting to suppress the cry that threatened to rupture his throat.

"I'll admit that you're braver than I first thought you were," the evil king said. "But you should've known that I'd never allow all those who dare betray me to live…Not you…or anyone else…"

As the implication slowly settled in his mind, the green-clad plumber froze. "What…?"

"I told you that you couldn't keep any secrets in _my_ castle, Luigi…I was able to find out what you were up to…and who you were working with…"

The man felt as though his heart was caught in his throat. "N…n-no…!"

A sneer appeared on Bowser's face. "Oh yes…And once I found out that they had been helping you, what else was I supposed to do but to get rid of them? As I said before, I'd never allow those who betray me to live."

"How…how could you…?"

The monstrous turtle laughed. "Please! It was a simple task to do. I _am_ evil, you know. But I might have let them live if they hadn't been helping you."

Luigi blinked slightly. "What do you mean?"

"The only reason I got rid of them was because they were helping you stop my plans. If you hadn't gotten them involved, I would've had no reason to kill them."

The man's eyes widened.

"Don't listen to him, Luigi!" Mario called. "They _wanted_ to help you, remember? What he's saying isn't true!"

"Of course it's true," Bowser retorted. "They wouldn't have been caught up in this mess if you had been capable of defeating me on your own. But you couldn't, could you?" He laughed coldly. "Because you can't do anything right on your own, can you? So you needed them to help you, and because of you they're dead. Face it, Luigi…it's all _your_ fault."

As the words painfully echoed through his mind, the younger brother shut his eyes tightly. His heart pounded heavily, causing a burning tremor to course through his body and eat away at his soul. He knew…Bowser was right.

The Koopa King smirked as the defeated plumber seemed to fall limp in his grasp. Chuckling sinisterly, he said, "Don't fret…I'm more than willing to put you out of your misery." Then he tightened his hold, digging his claws deeper into the man's back and causing him to cry out.

"Stop it!" Mario yelled, prevented from charging at the king by the two Hammer Bros at his side. "Let him go Bowser!"

The king laughed again. "You want me to let him go? All right, I'll let him go…" Tossing the younger brother into the air, he turned and swung his tail, striking him as hard as possible. The man flew back until his body connected with the large silver machine, causing a dent in the metal from his impact. Then he fell face-down on the floor, unmoving.

The older brother gasped, feeling as though his heart stopped. "Luigi!" He began to thrash about, once more trying to get free from the Hammer Bros. He swung his legs roughly, attempting to kick them when his foot loosened a hammer from the belt of one his captors. The hammer fell, landing on its owner's foot and causing him to release the plumber's arm. With his free hand, he shoved the other Hammer Bro off of him, jumping up and landing on the turtle's head before running to where Luigi lay.

Bowser shook his head slightly but stopped his other minions from going to detain the hero. "Let's just leave the two brothers alone while we prepare for the invasion," he said, smirking a little as he turned and slowly walked out of the room, followed closely behind by the three remaining Hammer Bros.

Mario didn't seem to notice them leave as he knelt beside Luigi, placing his hand on his brother's shoulder and carefully turning him over to lie on his back.

"Luigi…" he said softly, gently shaking the other to try and wake him. "Luigi…C'mon Luigi…"

The younger brother didn't respond and still lay motionless except for the shallow rise and fall of his chest.

Frowning, the red-clad plumber slowly turned the other onto his side, carefully inspecting his back. He winced slightly as he saw the claw marks that were left behind. Then he lay the other onto his back again and slowly removed his emerald cap. Taking the star that fell out of his brother's cap, he then placed the hat above the other's head and smiled sadly.

"You'll be okay, Luigi…" he said softly. "You really did a good job. So you just rest now, and I'll take care of everything else…Okay?"

Reaching into his overall pocket, he pulled out his power star and placed the two stars in Luigi's hand. "There…just in case you need 'em."

With a small sigh, he got to his feet and began to head out to find Bowser. As he reached the metal doors, though, he paused and glanced back at his brother once more.

"I'm sorry Luigi…" he whispered, "for everything…" And he left the room.

* * *

Mario panted as he leaned against a wall, wiping his brow with the sleeve of his shirt as he looked around. After he had left the main room, he had been following Bowser through the castle, trying to get at him. But every time he had gotten near the Koopa King, a smaller enemy always appeared seemingly out of nowhere and blocked his way. Though he was always forced to fight them, he was always able to defeat them easily. Unfortunately, it always gave the giant turtle some time to get farther away from him.

But he had managed to always keep track of the villain. And he was always able to catch up after getting rid of the smaller enemies. Now he found himself looking up at large crimson doors, and on the other side he knew Bowser was there. He had seen him enter the room before he was stopped by another fleet of distracting minions.

He was just glad that he had been able to hold onto his fire flower for so long. Without it, he knew he would have had a more difficult time.

Inhaling deeply, the hero pushed himself away from the wall and walked to the crimson doors. Placing his hands on them, he carefully pushed them open and walked into the dim stone room, his eyes focused on the wicked king who waited for him on the other side.

Bowser smirked as he watched his nemesis enter. "I was expecting you in sooner," he said sardonically. "Were you having some trouble?"

Mario didn't reply.

The smirk faded, replaced by a slightly bored expression. "Fine…I suppose we should just get this over with." As he spoke, the giant turtle pounded his foot twice into the stone floor. Then the giant doors swung shut and several torches along the walls lit pup, filling the room with an ominous glow.

But the man didn't seem to notice any of those things. His focus remained on the enemy before him.

Watching the other for a moment, the Koopa King then grinned a little. "By the way…how's your brother doing?"

That was enough to set the hero off. Growling, he clenched his fists as he felt the flower's magic burn through his body. Then he jumped up, hurling three fireballs as hard as he could at the turtle.

With a laugh, Bowser retreated into his spiky shell. The covering then spun around rapidly, and when the fireballs hit, they bounced off and flew in different directions.

Seeing one of the fireballs flying towards him, Mario quickly ducked. At the moment that he saw Bowser come out of his shell again, he threw more of the flaming spheres.

Opening his mouth, the giant Koopa blew out fire and countered the plumber's attacks. The fire mingled and grew, shot back in the direction of the short man who quickly jumped out of the way, bouncing off against a wall and landing behind the king. Grabbing the monster's tail, he pulled as hard as he could and knocked the turtle off his feet. With as much strength as he could muster, the hero began to spin the giant turtle around through the air. Then he released the tail, and Bowser flew back until he hit the opposite wall, causing the room to quake under the impact.

Mario sighed a little, watching as the evil king sat on the floor and shook his head. As the other slowly got to his feet, the man ran forward and rapidly began throwing more fireballs at him.

Bowser growled loudly as the flames grazed his body, but his thick scales prevented the attacks from causing too much damage. Noticing the plumber was close enough, the villain quickly swung his tail and swiped Mario's feet out from under him.

The hero gasped in surprise as he fell, but before he hit the ground he was grabbed by the monster's sharp claws. With a smirk, Bowser threw him up and quickly jabbed him with his pointed horns. Then with a toss of his head, he cast the plumber aside.

Hitting the ground, Mario rolled a few feet further before coming to a stop and lying facedown on the cold stone floor. Hastily, he got to his knees, keeping one hand on his injured stomach. Glancing up, he watched as the Koopa King stomped on the fire flower he had dropped. Then the villain slowly began to approach him.

Getting to his feet, the man panted softly before running towards the king. Noticing this, Bowser halted his thunderous steps and opened his mouth, blowing out a stream of fire. But Mario jumped up into the air to avoid it. As he fell back down, he held his arms out and spun, rapidly punching the Koopa like helicopter blades until his feet touched the floor. Not giving the turtle much chance to recover, he then crouched down before jumping up again, delivering a sharp uppercut to Bowser's jaw.

Though slightly disoriented from the blow, the evil king somehow opened his mouth and reached out, grabbing the plumber's arm with his pointed teeth.

Mario winced slightly but felt that the hold wasn't too strong and actually wasn't too painful. Swinging his legs back, he then kicked the villain as hard as he could, knocking the wind out of Bowser and causing him to release the man.

Jumping back, the hero carefully felt his arm. The teeth marks, though left large holes in the sleeve of his red shirt, weren't deep enough to pierce the skin of his arm. Still, he decided to try and be more careful, for the next time he might not be so lucky.

He was jarred out of his thoughts when he barely saw claws swiped at him. He jumped back swiftly, narrowly avoiding being slashed across the chest. Bowser growled, once again shooting fire at the man. Flipping back, Mario landed several feet away from the Koopa before running towards him again.

As the plumber came at him, the monstrous turtle slowly approached the other as well, rattling the room with his heavy footsteps. When he was close enough, he quickly swiped his claws at the man.

But just before the claws could touch him, the hero got down onto the floor, momentum pushing him forward and knocking Bowser off his feet as he slid into him. Coming to a sudden stop behind the king, he then got up and reached out to grab the tail.

Feeling the plumber tug on his tail again, the villain growled and swung it upwards, hurling the man high into the air. Then he retreated into his shell and spun rapidly. When Mario came back down, he landed in a sharp vortex of spikes, tossed about on each spike before being flung out again and hitting a wall.

Coming out of his shell again, Bowser smirked and slowly treaded to where the plumber lay, motionless except for his light breathing. But when he was close, Mario spun his legs and knocked his feet out from under him. The turtle fell back and landed on his shell.

Panting heavily, the man then jumped up over the villain. Spinning slightly in the air, he then dropped back down and forcefully landed in Bowser's stomach, causing the evil king to roar loudly before his body fell limp.

Sliding off, Mario then wiped his brow with the back of his hand and turned to look at the villain. "Give up, Bowser," he said. "You can't beat me."

The Koopa King watched the hero silently for a moment as he lay on his back. Then, to Mario's surprise, he let out a low, sinister laugh.

"You fool!" the king exclaimed. "You still haven't realized, have you?"

The man frowned, blinking slightly as he looked at the villain with a puzzled expression.

"I never had any intentions of beating you. My only aim was to lead you here and keep you distracted long enough for us to arrive at Peach's castle…"

Mario's eyes widened. "What…?"

The monstrous turtle chuckled again, watching the man with gleaming crimson eyes. "So what if you've beaten me for now? You haven't _defeated_ me yet…And at this point, there's nothing you can do to disrupt my plans. The Mushroom Kingdom will be destroyed, starting with the castle and its princess, and from there I will begin to take over other kingdoms. Even if you manage to get out of this room, you'll never reach the central room in time. There's nothing you can do to stop me!"

The hero took a stop back, away from the villain as his gaze fell to the ground in disbelief. The entire fight had merely been a plan to draw him away from the room? A plan to keep him occupied while the castle slowly reached its destination? How could he have not known that before? How could he have not realized the king's real intentions?

He didn't even know how much time had passed, or how much longer there was before the castle reached Peach's palace. He had played right into Bowser's hands, and because of him the Mushroom Kingdom was going to be destroyed in just a matter of time. And there was nothing he could do about it.

Then as his mind grasped around an idea, he looked back up at the villain. "Maybe there's nothing _I_ can do to stop you," he said, "but there's still time for someone else to…"

The Koopa King released a roaring laugh. "You mean _Luigi_?" he asked, obviously amused by the thought. "Please. Assuming he even _wakes up_ in time, he'd be too scared to do anything on his own. He's a coward, and he'd never be able to have what it takes to stop me."

Mario clenched his fists tightly as he glared at the other. 'You're wrong,' he thought as Bowser began to laugh again. 'Luigi _does_ have what it takes. I know he does.' Closing his eyes, he sighed softly. 'C'mon, Luigi. You have to do something. Right now…you're the kingdom's only hope…'

* * *

_C'mon, Luigi. You have to do something. Right now…you're the kingdom's only hope…_

'…Mario…?'

With a small groan, Luigi's eyes fluttered open. There was a dull pain that extended all through his back, but despite it he somehow managed to slowly sit up. The back of his head throbbed, and as he rubbed the growing bump he felt with one hand, he finally noticed the two power stars he held in the other.

He thought for a moment as he placed the stars down beside his hat. He knew that he had taken a star earlier. But he had given one to Mario, hadn't he? So why did he have two now?

Come to think of it…where was Mario?

A quick glance around the room confirmed that he was alone. What had happened? How long had he been unconscious?

Turning slightly, he glanced up at the computer screen, focusing on the timer that displayed how much longer it would take to reach Peach's castle. When he did, his eyes widened.

15 minutes. 15 minutes before they reached the destination. 15 minutes until it was destroyed.

He suddenly had trouble breathing, feeling as though his heart was caught in his throat. How could this have happened? Time had abruptly run out, and too soon the palace, the kingdom, and so many innocent lives would be destroyed.

With a frustrating sigh, he buried his face in his hands. Everything…all of this was _his_ fault, and he knew it. He had been careless and foolish to think that Bowser would never catch on to his plans. All the preparations and precautions he and the others had taken, all the time they had spent coming up with ideas and carrying out those ideas, even getting his brother up into the castle in order to help him…all of it had been such a waste of time.

Kooper and Millie were dead…the Mushroom Kingdom would soon be destroyed because its only hero was stuck somewhere inside the threatening castle…even Daisy, who could have been spared from this at least for the moment, was also in danger now…because of _his_ plans, because _he_ hadn't been able to stop Bowser on his own. Each step he had taken only ended up as further aide for the Koopa King's grand plot.

He had just wanted to help save the kingdom…to do something right. But he had failed, and now countless lives were in danger. The blame and guilt for all of it lay heavily on his shoulders, painfully crushing his heart.

A piercing sound suddenly reached Luigi's ears, and slowly he looked back up at the computer screen. On the monitor was a picture of the energy machine centered in that very room. Beside the image was displayed a message in large dark letterings.

**WARNING: Damage to the energy storage tank will result in dangerous and unstable damage when energy levels exceed the halfway point.**

Beside the warning was a yellow arrow pointing to a specific area of the machine, shaded in red. Blinking a little, he studied the diagram on screen before looking at the machine itself. Walking around it, he then found the area that was shaded in on the monitor.

When he had hit the machine after Bowser threw him, he had left a sizeable dent in the metal. It was that dent that the warning was about.

Biting his bottom lip, he then walked around the machine again, studying as quickly and carefully as he could. When he moved to behind the machine, he found a short, wide blue pipe protruding out of the silver metal tank, and above the pipe was a gauge with four different colors on it that went from top to bottom: blue, green, yellow, and red. The blue, yellow, green, and most of the red were dulled out, but a portion of the red, very near the bottom of the gauge, was brightened up. With every passing second, the level of lightened color dulled, slowly creeping towards the bottom.

The closer they got to the Mushroom Kingdom, the more energy was used. When the gauge reached level zero, the machine would automatically break down what it could to receive more power. Not that it mattered much since Bowser had programmed it to absorb the Kingdom. Even if the tank was full, it would still follow its commands, and the Koopa King was the only one who could reset it.

But that warning…Luigi placed a thoughtful hand to his chin. If the energy tank was full, what would happen if it was damaged?

Quickly he looked around the room. On the other side of the machine, resting by his hat, were the two power stars. By the computer consol he had spotted a hammer which he figured one of the Hammer Bros must have dropped. Then his eyes looked up once more at the monitor. The warning remained, and the time until they reached the Mushroom Kingdom was down to 10 minutes.

It was a risky plan. But there were no other options left. If he didn't do this, Bowser would finally prevail.

Swallowing thickly, Luigi ran back to the front of the machine, grabbing his cap and the power stars. Placing the cap back on his head, he hurried back to the blue pipe and knelt beside it. With a star in each hand, he slowly began to draw their magic out, and before their power could affect him and turn him invincible, he quickly threw them into the pipe. The machine hissed and groaned loudly, once more trying to jump out of its fixed place in the ground. Looking up, he watched as the gauge level was raised all the way to the top.

The sound of urgent beeping echoed through the room as the warning grew larger. But he ignored it as he got to his feet, quickly grabbing the hammer on the ground before running back to the front of the machine, standing before it and staring up at the large dent.

He knew exactly what to do. Yet as he stood there, staring at the energy tank, he found himself still trembling. He was still scared.

Suddenly, Bowser's mocking laughter echoed between his ears, and his accusing words pierced through his body.

_They wouldn't have been caught up in this mess if you had been capable of defeating me on your own. But you couldn't, could you? Because you can't do anything on your own…_

He nearly dropped the hammer as he shut his eyes. It was true. It had always been true. He was always so afraid to do anything because he was scared that he'd only screw it up. And he was right. He was to blame for Kooper and Millie's death…He had messed things up, and it had cost them their lives.

What if he screwed this up too? What if this plan didn't work and the Mushroom Kingdom was still destroyed? It would be all his fault…because he just wasn't capable of doing anything right. He was afraid…that he would fail again.

But what should he do now?

What…would his brother do?

Opening his eyes again, Luigi looked back up at the machine. Though his body still trembled, he tightly gripped the hammer in his hand as a look of determination set his features. He had to at least try. Even if his plan now didn't work, trying would be better than doing nothing at all. He had to do everything he could to stop Bowser.

Releasing a shaky breath, Luigi jumped up into the air. He gripped the hammer in both hands and swung as hard as he could at the energy tank.

* * *

Nearby, she could hear Peach talking to reporting Lakitus and trying to explain the situation to them and all the citizens still in their homes. But Daisy wasn't paying too much attention to them. She, just as most people there, was too busy watching the large castle that slowly crept towards Peach's.

Both she and Peach had been a little worried when Yoshi had returned the previous night with neither Mario nor Luigi. But the blond princess had assured her that the brothers were all right. When it became too late, Peach had had a room set up for her to spend the night.

Except Daisy had been unable to sleep. For some reason, she had had a strange feeling that something was wrong. So instead of going to bed, she had stood on the balcony, staring up at the starlit sky.

That was when something strange happened.

As she stood under the night sky, she had seen something floating off in the distance. Curious, she watched it for a bit as it slowly hovered and faltered in the air. There were times when it seemed that it would just fall completely, but it somehow managed to stay afloat. After several minutes passed and she saw the object grow bigger, Daisy realized that it was floating towards her.

The object continued to slowly float towards her, and she waited with wonder. But when it was close enough, she was able to see what 'it' was very clearly.

A green-cloaked magic Koopa.

She took several steps back when the Koopa landed on the balcony railing. She could see the sorceress seemed tired, maybe even injured, but she still remained wary. Every magic Koopa she had ever encountered had been working for Bowser, and was always up to no good.

But Daisy had dropped her guard immediately when the koopa had said she was a friend of Luigi's.

She had trusted the magic Koopa quickly, and the sorceress began to explain what Bowser's plans were and how Luigi had gotten involved to begin with. She explained everything that happened and Luigi's ideas to stop the Koopa King from taking over the Mushroom Kingdom.

But then she warned that something had gone terribly wrong, and that Bowser's castle was still on its way over. The koopa advised Daisy that everyone in the palace and everyone immediately surrounding the palace should evacuate and head to somewhere safe, just in case.

And then the magic Koopa had asked her…to thank Luigi for her…and to let him know that nothing was his fault.

She hadn't really understood what the other meant, but before she had a chance to ask, she had heard the door to her room open as Peach came in, apparently unable to sleep either and was seeking company.

When she turned back to the magic Koopa she found nothing there but the night sky.

After explaining the situation to Peach, they had awakened the entire castle and sent messengers to awaken those who lived close by in order to explain the situation to them. In a matter of hours through the dead of night, they had gotten those in and close to the castle a safe distance away.

And as the sun began to rise, they watched as Bowser's castle loomed over the horizon. And seeing the size of it, the brunette could understand why they were advised not to try and fight it. The castle was easily much bigger than both hers and Peach's combined. She could only imagine the kind of force Bowser had in there.

Still, she hated just standing around and waiting. She had to _do_ something.

Hearing the interview was over, she watched as the reporter Lakitus flew up higher in the air to get a better shot of Bowser's castle.

"They're in there, aren't they?" she heard Peach ask softly, coming to stand beside her.

"They must be," she answered. "I wonder what they're doing…"

"I just hope they're okay…"

Daisy turned to the other princess. "Do you think they'll be able to stop Bowser in time?"

Looking at her for a minute, Peach then smiled a little. "If anyone can, it'll be them. That's why Luigi needed Mario up there, right? So the two of them can defeat Bowser."

Suddenly the sound of a thunderous explosion roared throughout the kingdom and caused the ground to quake violently, throwing nearly everyone off their feet. The princesses fell back as well as the ground shook beneath them.

Then as quickly as it started, it stopped. The people looked about at each other, questioning murmurs rising through the crowds. Slowly getting back onto their feet, Daisy and Peach looked at each other before looking towards the castle. They gasped.

In the air where Bowser's castle once floated was now a massive ball of blue-grey smoke and raining pieces of debris and large concrete. From the sphere grew three smoke trails that flew apart from each other. One of the smoke trails also seemed to head towards their direction.

Peach gasped again. "Look!" she exclaimed, pointing to the smoke coming towards them.

As the people gazed on at the dark trailing cloud that fell in their direction, the reporting Lakitus flew up to catch a better view. "It's the Mushroom Kingdom's hero, Mario!" the Lakitu with the microphone announced loudly.

"Waaaaaah!" As the man flew threw the air, he waved his arms about frantically, vainly trying to slow down his speed as he fell towards the ground. His motions, however, altered his position and direction in the air, causing him to fall in an arch instead of straight down. As he came closer to the ground, many realized that he wouldn't hit the ground first.

Unfortunately for the Lakitu holding the microphone, the realization came too late. Before he had a chance to move out of the way, the red-clad plumber landed hard on top of him, pushing them both out of the bottom of the cloud. The cloud itself, because of the force Mario had landed on it, had mostly dissolved. Only a portion of it remained, and both the man and Lakitu clung onto it as they both dangled precariously in the air.

They both struggled, but somehow the Lakitu managed to pull himself back onto the cloud. Sitting on the small bit that was left, the Lakitu sighed before carefully steering his cloud toward the princesses. He lowered them both down until Mario was safely able to jump down and land next to where Peach and Daisy stood.

When the hero's feet touched the ground, the crowd began to cheer. Not only had his entrance been exciting and surprising, but he had been jettisoned out of the castle that had been threatening them. They felt that he had had something to do with it's destruction.

"Are you all right, Mario?" Peach asked in deep concern, her sapphire eyes focused on the shorter man.

Mario brushed as much dirt off his clothes as he could. Other than being slightly singed, the plumber appeared fine. "Yeah, I think so," he finally replied as he turned to face her. "A couple of scratches, but nothing too bad."

The reporter Lakitus soon descended towards the man and the princesses. The one holding a news camera kept a slight distance while the one that held the microphone, with his cloud rebuilt and normal, floated closer to the man.

"And here to speak with us now," the Lakitu said to the camera, "is the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario." Turning to him, the Lakitu said, "Tell us, Mario…How were you able to thwart Bowser's plot to take over the Kingdom this time?"

Turning to reporter, Mario blinked a little. "I…didn't do anything…" he replied.

"You didn't?" the Lakitu asked incredulously.

"No…I didn't…"

"Well, if you didn't stop Bowser this time…who did?"

The man paused for a moment. "Luigi must've…" His voice trailed off as his eyes widened. "Oh no!" he said, turning to look back at the giant ball of smoke. "Luigi was still up there!"

Daisy gasped. "Luigi was still caught up in _that_?"

"Is he here?" Mario then asked, glancing around. "Did Luigi land here too?"

"No…" the Lakitu replied. "You're the only one from that castle that arrived here."

"Hey…" the Lakitu holding the camera said, looking at his partner, "maybe he was one of the ones who flew off in another direction." He pointed to the fading smoke trails that extended from out of the spherical cloud.

Looking about frantically, Mario then whistled as loud as he could. When a Yoshi jumped out of the crowd and landed in front of him, he quickly climbed onto the dino's back.

"Where are you going?" Peach asked.

"I gotta go find him!" the plumber replied. "He could be hurt!"

"Wait…Mario…!" the blonde princess called after him. but there was nothing she could say as the Yoshi quickly ran away from them.

Watching the hero go, the Lakitu then turned back to the camera. "You heard it here, folks!" he stated. "After somehow saving the Mushroom Kingdom and destroying Bowser's floating castle, the younger of the Mario Brothers, Luigi, has gone missing!"


	8. Chapter 7

Sighing heavily, Mario removed his cap to run his gloved fingers through his auburn hair. As he returned his hat to its rightful place, he gazed about the forest that he had found himself in. He wasn't sure how long or how far he had been traveling. All he knew was that the day was beginning to fade, and there was still no sigh of his brother anywhere.

Nearby, his Yoshi lay in a pile of leaves, making soft noises as it slept. He couldn't blame the dino for being so tired after all the searching and running they had been doing (and technically, it had been Yoshi who did all the running). They had only meant to stop for a short while, but then Yoshi had fallen asleep, Mario hadn't had the heart to wake it. He just hoped that Luigi was doing all right.

Rubbing his arm gingerly, he winced a little when a shot of pain spread through his arm. He was just beginning to feel the effects of his battle against Bowser those few days ago, leaving his body sore and tired. But he couldn't stop yet. Not until he had found Luigi.

What really worried the red-clad hero was what had caused Bowser's castle to explode the way it had. He felt that his younger brother was responsible somehow, but that was what really concerned him. How close had Luigi been to the explosion? Was it close enough…to have been seriously hurt? Or worse…what if…?

With a shudder, he furiously shook his to dispel the treacherous thoughts. 'Luigi is _fine_ ,' he told himself sternly. 'He's strong…he'll be all right…' He repeated it in his head, but it didn't do anything to calm his anxious heart. 'Where _are_ you, Luigi?'

How long had he been looking? A couple of days? A week? He wasn't sure anymore. He remembered the first day he had gone to look for his brother shortly after the castle exploded. When he failed to find anything, he returned to Peach's castle hoping that Luigi would be there. When he hadn't been, Mario left again the following morning to search once more. He also knew that Peach was having parties help scour the kingdom.

But it wasn't enough. Even with so many people looking, they still hadn't been able to find Luigi so many days after he had gone missing. What made it worse was that the younger brother hadn't tried to contact them at all either. That wasn't like his responsible brother, which left Mario feeling even more troubled. He _had_ to find Luigi, and fast.

The question was: How? They had already spent so long without finding even a trace of the other. What could he do differently to find him? Wasn't there any way that Luigi could let him know where he was?

The sun had almost set completely, leaving the last streaks of color to light the darkening sky. Overhead, the moon was already beginning to glow faintly. Exhaustion suddenly overtook his body as he vainly tried to stifle a yawn. He couldn't sleep yet…he needed to find his brother. But as his eyes began to droop, the thought of a short nap before continuing his quest seemed like a good idea.

Or it did until the giggling of a soft, familiar voice broke through all his fatigue.

Eyes snapping open, Mario shot to his feet as he frantically looked about the shadowy forest. He _knew_ that voice; even if their initial meeting had been brief, he recognized that voice because he forced himself to never forget it.

But it just wasn't possible. It couldn't be _her_. Hadn't Bowser…killed her?

Quickly scanning the area, the plumber finally saw a faint light in the distance, moving through the trees as the voice began to fade. Memories of the green-cloaked magic Koopa filled his mind, and even if he couldn't believe it was her…he still found himself hoping it was.

He dashed forward, following after the light before it could disappear from sight completely. He ran as fast as he could after it, but no matter how quick he was he could never close the space between them. The glow continued to drift away from him, and the giggling voice grew faint. Soon it fell silent as the light vanished behind a dense cluster of trees.

Not wanting to lose her, Mario sprinted ahead, breaking through the trees and landing in a small clearing at the bank of a river. Trying to catch his breath, he gazed around but saw no sight of the glimmer he had been following. There was nothing around but the trees that surrounded the brook, and nothing was heard but the gentle murmur of the flowing water.

With a frustrated sigh, the hero took a step forward, wanting to look around to see if he could locate the light again. As he did so, he felt his foot jostle something loose. He jumped back slightly, looking down at the ground to see the object.

It was completely dark, obstructing his vision and preventing him from seeing the object clearly. It was rather large, but it hadn't felt like he had kicked a rock. Curiously he bent down to feel it, and when he did his eyes widened. He quickly snatched it into his hands, turning it around and squinting through the dark, searching until his eyes came across the proof he needed.

Nestled in the light circle was the letter 'L', sitting at the front of the cap.

Clutching the cap tightly, Mario looked around again, thoughts of the magic Koopa quickly forgotten. If the hat was here, then the owner must have been nearby. But where? Where could he be?

He took a few steps back to get a better scope of the area, searching for any other signs of his brother. As he stepped underneath the branches of the tree behind him, a soft wind picked up and rustled the leaves above. The way the foliage sounded as they moved about seemed rather strange…odd for some reason he couldn't fathom. Curious more than anything, he tilted his head to look up. When he did, his breathing was suddenly obstructed as his heart leapt into his throat.

"LUIGI!!"

* * *

_The three had jumped up to meet the Toad doctor as soon as he stepped out of the room where Luigi was placed in. "Well?" Mario asked impatiently. "Is he gonna be okay?"_

_The mushroom sighed wearily and rubbed his temples. "It's a little hard to say…" he answered hesitantly._

_"What do you mean?" Peach asked, concern adorning her sapphire eyes._

_"I…don't know if…"_

_"Just tell us," Daisy interrupted, the command softened by the anxiety in her voice. "Tell us_ everything _."_

_Studying her set expression, the doctor sighed again, removing his glasses and cleaning them with his white coat. "He's suffered from a lot of damage, your Highness. He somehow managed to survive through the explosion more or less, but he still endured some severe burns._

" _He also has a few broken ribs and a broken leg, probably from the impact of his landing. At the velocity he was traveling in after the detonation, I'm surprised there aren't any more than that. But the harsh landing was only made worse since he landed in a_ tree _, where the branches left some rather deep lacerations, especially in the back area._ Those _wounds were already there beforehand, but were only torn open more when he fell._

_"What's more, those wounds were left untreated for days…almost a week. The amount of blood he lost is dangerous for anyone. We also…found that he has a slight concussion as well as a fractured skull. And those are all the major injuries, leaving out the smaller cuts and bruises. Whatever had gone on in Bowser's castle must have been really something…"_

_The two princesses glanced at the red-clad plumber, but he didn't feel like explaining. Instead, he asked the doctor, "So…what's going to happen to him now?"_

_"We've done all we can," the Toad answered softly. "The rest…is up to him…"_

With a groan, Mario buried his face in his hands as the scene replayed in his mind. The doctor's news had done nothing to improve the painful turmoil inside him. Instead, he was feeling far worse than when he had found his younger brother in that tree in the first place.

Even though he had been excited to find Luigi, it was quickly extinguished by the state he had found the other. The image burned within his mind, and he was doing everything he could to try and forget it: the torn, burnt clothes that did little to hide the bloodied skin underneath; the twisted, unnatural bend of a leg; the way it had looked as though no air was passing through the body at all…

A shudder coursed through him as he once again tried to suppress the picture. But it was impossible to ever forget how…hurt his brother had been. And Mario couldn't help but feel that it was _his_ fault somehow.

And that was why he was still sitting by himself out in the hallway while Daisy and Peach were inside the room across from him.

He felt that it was because of _him_ that Luigi was in such a critical condition, that his younger brother had been hurt. He hadn't been able to help at all, and Luigi had been the one to pay for it. And even if his brother was unconscious, he still couldn't manage to face him. Even though he wanted to go and see Luigi, he just couldn't yet. The guilt that ate away at him prevented him from doing so.

And he couldn't bear the thought of his younger brother hating him for all that happened. What if Luigi never forgave him?

That single thought was what scared him the most.

The door across from him slowly opened with a low creak, followed by the soft footsteps approaching him. He didn't need to look up to know who it was. She had been trying to get him to go see his brother for hours now while the other princess remained fixed at Luigi's bedside.

"Mario?" Peach's gentle voice rang in his ears, but he refused to answer her, or even acknowledge her presence. "Mario, are you all right?"

'Of course not,' the answer almost came out from his throat. 'Not after all I did!' But he swallowed it back down. No one knew yet that it was all his fault.

When his silence persisted, the princess drew closer and soon occupied the empty seat beside the hero. "Mario, what is it? You haven't moved from this spot in hours. Why don't you want to go see Luigi?"

The question had been far from any kind of accusation, but he still flinched a little and felt the need to defend his actions. "It's not that I don't _want_ to see him," he finally replied hoarsely, his voice just barely audible. "I…just _can't_."

Her bewildered expression was easy enough for him to imagine. "Why can't you?"

"I…" The plumber hesitated. Was he ready to admit the story? "I just…can't."

He allowed his hands to fall away from his face as he folded his arms over his torso, keeping his eyes fixed on the tiled floor in front of him. Beside him, he could see Peach's gloved hands folded so neatly atop the skirt of her gown, and if he hadn't known better he would have fallen for her calm demeanor. But he knew…he knew that deep down she was feeling the exact same things that he was feeling: Worry and concern for Luigi, helplessness that there was nothing they could do for him, stress of just sitting and wondering when – or if – he'd ever wake up. And the fear…

The fear of what would happen…if he never did.

But at least Peach was handling it all better than he was, and Mario was quick to admit it. He knew of the wreck he must have seemed at that moment. He vaguely wondered what Daisy must have been going through…and how she would handle it if Luigi…

"Mario?" Peach's voice broke through before he could finish that troubling thought. "Mario, what's going on? This isn't like you at all. What's wrong?"

The man sighed in slight frustration, more directed at himself than at her. "I just…I can't go see him right now…I'm not…ready to face him yet."

"What do you mean?"

Mario finally looked up at her, catching the confused and anxious expression in her eyes. Before he had a chance to stop himself, he began explaining the entire story from the beginning: Luigi being kidnapped by Bowser, Bowser asking Luigi to join him in taking over the Mushroom Kingdom, the note being part of Luigi and Bowser's plan to lure him to the castle, Luigi's real reason for getting him up there to begin with…Kooper and Millie who had been helping Luigi and what ended up happening to them…the machine that Bowser had stolen from E. Gadd…Bowser's plans to double-cross Luigi as well and what happened to Luigi…and his battle against Bowser before the castle exploded.

Then he told Peach about the things he had learned while being up there…about Luigi always being so afraid all this time and how he felt he couldn't do anything right on his own…And he told her how ashamed he felt for never knowing that his brother felt that way after all these years…and how he had done nothing to help Luigi at all…And he told her how Bowser had tricked him into the battle so he wouldn't be able to stop the machine from destroying the kingdom, leaving Luigi all by himself to handle it…and if he hadn't fallen for Bowser's plot then Luigi wouldn't have had to do whatever he did and he wouldn't have gotten hurt.

The entire story itself was enough to send Peach's mind reeling into shock and astonishment. It was almost hard for her to believe him. But the idea that he was trying to imply was just too much. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she said as reassuringly as she could, "Mario, none of this is your fault."

The hero shook his head and pulled away from her touch. By the end of his tale, he had been on the verge of guilty tears. "Yes it is," he whispered, unable to speak any louder than that. "Luigi wanted my help, but I let him down…and he got hurt…" He buried his face in his hands once more. "I always…let him down…"

"Mario…" The blond bit her tongue, unsure of anything she could say to make him feel better. "You…should still go in and see him…" was all she could come up with.

He shook his head again. "I _can't_ ," he insisted. "I can't face him…not after all I did."

Peach opened her mouth to speak again (even when her mind came up with nothing to say), but she stopped at the sound of a soft clack on the tiled floor. Looking up, she watched as Daisy reluctantly left the doorway of Luigi's room and approached them. The expression on the other princess's face was unreadable, but she could see the thin glistening film in the other's eyes that refused to be shed.

Finally, the brunette stopped to stand where the man was sitting, hunched over with his face still hidden by his hands. "Mario?" she said.

If anything, the plumber had wanted to talk to Daisy even _less_ than he had wanted to talk to Peach. It wasn't meant to be mean or anything like that. It was only because the news of Luigi's injuries had affected her just as much as it had affected him…maybe even more. He couldn't face Luigi after what he had done, and if anything happened to his brother he wouldn't have been able to face the dark-haired princess either.

"Mario," she said again.

But he knew she could be much more stubborn than Peach. If she wanted to talk, then she would. And she wouldn't leave him alone until he complied with her. So he wearily gave in, dropping his hands to his lap to look up at her. "Daisy," he began, "I…"

He was suddenly cut off by the sharp sting of a clothed hand across his face, the dull sound of the contact echoing around them in the silence that quickly surrounded the area.

Peach's hands had flown up to her mouth, stifling the surprise of the other's abrupt action. When she recovered herself, she exclaimed, "Daisy!"

But the dark-haired princess didn't look at all sorry for what she had done, and it seemed as though she had no plans of apologizing. She simply lowered her hand and looked at the man who sat before her with stern, sapphire eyes.

Slowly Mario turned to look back at her, his own eyes wide as he gaped. He reached up to gingerly touch his cheek, already feeling the heat accumulate where she had slapped him. The glove on her hand had done nothing to soften the blow, and the force behind it had almost sent him toppling out of his seat. A storm of emotions clouded his mind; confusion, curiosity, lingering shame and misery…even a twinge of anger. "What…what was that for?" he somehow managed to ask.

"You were being selfish," she replied without a pause. Though her voice was soft, it couldn't hide the steady tone behind her words.

But it was that accusation that finally gave way to the anger inside, causing Mario to jump to his feet. "Selfish?!" he snapped, concentrating every ounce of frustration into that one word to restrain himself from doing something he would regret. How _dare_ she call him selfish?

Peach rose to her feet as well, afraid that this confrontation would end violently, and she wanted to prevent any physical harm if she could. Though he was half Daisy's size, the blonde princess knew Mario could kill her if he wished to. And just by the tone he spoke with, she feared he would come close to doing so. "Mario…" she warned.

"That's what I said," Daisy retorted, her tone deceivingly soft for her statement. "And that's what you are. I mean, that's why you're out here feeling _sorry_ for yourself instead of going in there to see your brother who _needs_ you!"

Whatever answer Mario had formed immediately died on his lips as he stared at her, her words numbing his mind. "What…?"

For a moment, the brunette's expression seemed to soften a bit. "He needs you right now, Mario," she insisted. "The doctors…don't know if he's going to make it. They've done all they can to help him…but they aren't able to help him the way _you_ can."

He couldn't keep the scoff from escaping his throat. "What can _I_ do? I couldn't even help him up in Bowser's castle! How am I supposed to help him now?"

"Just by letting him know you're here! He always talks about how _you're_ the reason he's able to do so many things, even if he's afraid to. He always says that _you're_ the one who always gave him the strength and courage to do things he thought he never could. He always looked up to you, and _to_ you for support. And he says that he wouldn't be the same person he is today if it wasn't for you."

He frowned slightly as snippets of his conversation with Luigi back in Bowser's castle replayed in his mind. Part of him agreed with Daisy's last statement: If it wasn't for him, Luigi would probably not have doubted himself so often and would have been more confident. But the rest…it was difficult to believe. "I…I never did anything like that," he said softly, his eyes focused on the floor. "I mean, I never even knew about what Luigi was going through all these years. I never knew how…scared he's been."

"Maybe," the dark-haired princess said, "that's because he never wanted you to know."

The hero looked up at her again in bewilderment. "What do you mean?"

"Mario…what would you have done if you knew that Luigi was so scared all the time?"

"I…" He rubbed the back of his head a bit. "I would have done anything I could have to help him with it…"

Her sapphire eyes never broke from his. "Anything? Even if that meant never going to save Peach from Bowser?"

His eyes widened slightly. "What?"

"Think about it. Luigi was often scared of the dangers during the adventures the two of you had rescuing Peach from Bowser's clutches. Let's say you _had_ known how he had felt all those times. If you're so willing to do anything to help him with his fears, what if he had asked you not to go save her? What if he had asked you to forget about her because he was too scared to go? Is that what you would have done?"

"That…I…" He racked his brain for an answer that wasn't really there. That really was a difficult decision. If he had known…would he have chosen to ease his younger brother's fears? Or would he have continued on despite them to save Peach? Having to pick one or the other…how would he have felt with either decision? "That's a hard choice to make…" he finally answered.

"And Luigi would know that too," Daisy added. "But he would never want to make you choose between doing the right thing and helping him just because he's your brother. So he kept quiet about his fears so you would never _have_ to choose. By doing that, though…by following you through all your adventures, he was able to move on even through his worries because he knew it was the right thing to do. And he knew it was the right thing to do, and he was able to overcome his fears just long enough…because _you_ taught him so. _That's_ what you've done for him."

For a long moment, Mario simply stared at her. He _wanted_ to believe her…to believe that he had done something good for his brother. But something…something still didn't feel right. The guilt still remained within him, refusing to let him go. "I still should have seen _something_ ," he remarked, looking away once again. "I should have noticed something…anything. At least then maybe I could have been there for him more…I feel like I've let him down somehow…"

Daisy placed her hands on her hips. "The only way you're letting him down is by staying out _here_ instead of being in _there_ ," she retorted. Then, with a softer voice, she added, "And maybe you weren't there enough for him in the past. But you can be there for him _now_. He needs you right now…He needs to know that you're waiting for him, and that you'll be there for him when he wakes up. Can you really turn your back on him like this?"

It was those words that caused something to stir deep within him, and for a reason he didn't understand he felt tears sting his eyes. 'No…' the words came easily to his mind. 'No, I won't turn my back on him…not this time.'

Turning his gaze upward, he gave Daisy a grateful smile. She nodded slightly, returning it with a small one of her own before stepping aside, clearing the way to the door of Luigi's room.

Hesitating for a moment, the hero glanced at Peach beside him with a silent request. She nodded, and as he slowly crossed the hallway towards his brother's room, the blond took the other princess's hand and gently sat her down. For now, this was something that Mario wanted to do alone.

Closing the door behind him, the man's eyes immediately focused on the state of his younger brother lying in bed. Though his body was mostly covered by the large white blanket, the cast around his leg was difficult to hide, especially because it was propped with a stand. An IV slowly dripped into the needle in his arm, synchronizing with the slow, steady beeping of the heart monitor. Luigi's face was unusually pale, and for a while it was difficult for Mario to determine if he was even breathing.

Luigi seemed so…weak. Just the sight of seeing his younger brother this way sharply cut through his heart.

"Hey little brother," he said softly as he slowly approached the bed. "Sorry I didn't come to see you right away…I guess I just felt a little nervous or something. Thank goodness Daisy managed to talk some sense into me. She's really something, huh?"

Carefully he slid into the chair positioned at the bedside. He felt a little strange talking to his brother this way, but it felt like something he had to do. "I don't know what you did up there…but whatever it was, you saved the Mushroom Kingdom. You're a hero, y'know. When the kingdom heard that you had been found, everyone couldn't wait to see you. But…we haven't told anyone else yet that you might…"

The rest of the sentence refused to be finished, and in all honestly, Mario didn't bother to try.

On the nightstand by the bed rested Luigi's verdant cap, darkened with burns and smudged with dirt. Reaching over, the red-clad plumber took it into his hands, gingerly looking it over. "Oh boy…" he said with a soft laugh in his voice. "You'd flip if you saw this. You never did like your cap dirty."

The smile quickly died when he was greeted with nothing but silence from his brother. He knew he shouldn't have been expecting an answer. But for some reason, he imagined that Luigi would wake up soon if he just kept talking.

He sighed heavily, looking at his brother again. "Luigi, you…" Then he paused, trying to think. What would be the best thing to say right now? Or better yet, what did he _want_ to say? "Luigi, you're gonna be okay. I know you'll get better. You just gotta keep hanging on, all right? It'll be hard…but you can't give up yet. And I know you can get through this. You've already gone through so much…"

There was a strange obstruction that blocked his throat, but he wasn't able to get rid of it easily. "I…don't know if you can really hear me, Luigi…but it must have been hard to do what you did. And I'm really proud of you. Hopefully…you'll be able to hear me tell you that…"


	9. Chapter 8

_He thought it all rather strange. At first he had found himself in a dark room, where the only light had been the one shining over him. No matter how far he had wandered, the spotlight did not move from him, and he suspected that he had not gone anywhere either._

_Then suddenly he found himself standing in a grassy field, the bright sunlight temporarily blinding him. When he recovered his senses, his eyes widened._

_A small distance away, he could make out two small children running through the meadow, one leading the way as the other trailed a little behind. The boy in front, the slightly smaller of the two, ran energetically and caused his bright red cap to bounce fervently on top of his small head. Every once in a while, he would jump up and land several feet away, taking him farther from the other behind him._

_The taller boy seemed to struggle keeping up with the first, trying to keep his balance as he ran while one hand prevented his green cap from flying away. He seemed to be running as fast as he could, but it was never enough to really catch up to the first child._

_It was then that he finally realized that this was a memory…a memory of a time so many years ago._

_He started when the green-capped boy tripped suddenly, falling face down in the dirt. The child lay there for a long while before slowly pushing himself back up, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand before quickly glancing around. But no matter how much he looked, there was no sign of the other boy at all. The red-capped child was gone._

_Sniffling, the green-capped boy rubbed his eyes again as he sat up, glancing around the field once more. Then he slowly got to his feet, his lower lip quivering as he wondered which direction to take. Tightly holding onto his cap, the boy then took a few steps forward._

_The child didn't make it very far, however, when he stopped and looked around frantically. The ground in front of the boy rumbled and suddenly broke apart as a large mole jumped out of the hole. The furry creature landed in front of the boy and towered over him, grinning menacingly._

_The green-capped child's body stiffened as he stared at the mole with wide eyes. He began to back away, about to turn and run when he fell again, landing back on the ground. Then he watched fearfully as the mole slowly began to approach him._

_Suddenly a red streak shot through the air and roughly landed on the mole's head. The creature swayed for a moment, and the green-capped boy scrambled back when the rodent fell forward and hit the ground. Then he looked up as the red-capped boy hopped off the mole and walked over to him._

_With a small smile, the red-capped child held out his hand to the other. Sniffling a bit, the green-capped boy accepted the offer and was helped to his feet. Then the two walked, hand in hand with the smaller boy leading the other, through the disappearing field._

_Though the meadow around them vanished, the image of the two boys lingered for another moment as a spotlight shone over them. Then he watched as the children slowly faded and the beam over them dimmed, leaving him alone in the dark once again._

_He shook his head sadly and looked through his endless black surroundings, sighing as he finally realized the truth of the memory. Ever since they were little, he always relied on his older brother for everything. Scared, helpless…that was just the way he was without his brother's courage and guidance. He had always known that…but that fact did nothing to reassure him._

_That's why his brother was a hero…while he just made everything worse._

_He had already made such a mess of things…and who knew what kind of damage his stunt at the castle caused? He wasn't even sure if it worked or not. What if it hadn't? What would happen to everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom…to Peach…to Daisy…to his brother?_

_If his actions hadn't destroyed the castle…it surely would have destroyed so much more._

_"What have I done…?" he muttered, his voice echoing around him. "It's all my fault…"_

_The light above him flickered and slowly faded, leaving him surrounded in darkness._

* * *

As Luigi drifted back into consciousness, the first thing he was aware of was the dull pain that throbbed in his right leg. With a small groan, he slowly opened his eyes and winced at the brightness of the white surroundings. His blurred vision took a minute to adjust, but he was able to recognize the hospital room quickly despite his drowsy state.

When he attempted to sit up, he gasped as an agonizing sensation spread throughout his entire body, forcing him back down onto the bed. Carefully he placed a hand to his chest and winced at the light touch's sting. Every part of him seemed to burn with pain, and he wondered what happened after the castle exploded.

If he was this badly damaged, what about the people who had been under the castle? Or even the people inside it? Was his brother all right?

He was drawn out of his thoughts by the clamor just outside his door. Glancing over, he just managed to see a swarm of heads as they flashed past the window, one head disappearing and quickly being replaced by another. He frowned curiously. What was going on out there?

He jumped slightly when the door cracked open, and he could hear the flurry of voices that all tried to speak at once. A familiar tone was heard over the crowd, "You better go on in ahead." Was that Peach?

"Yeah. We'll stay here and deal with the paparazzi." He knew that was Daisy's voice.

"Okay…Thanks." And he watched as Mario slid through the small opening, quickly shutting the door behind him. The red-clad plumber sighed and dusted himself off. Though his older brother didn't look at him, he could see that the other still wished to speak to him. "Man, Luigi, you wouldn't believe how many people wanna see you!"

The younger man couldn't resist asking. "Why would they want to see _me_?"

"Why? Because you're a hero! After all…you…" Mario's voice trailed off as he finally realized just who he was answering. With wide eyes he looked up and found himself being watched by the pair of eyes he didn't expect to see. "Luigi!"

And in the blink of an eye Mario had crossed the room to embrace his younger brother, much to Luigi's surprise. But he soon relaxed, closing his eyes and breathing a soft sigh. Though too exhausted to return the embrace, the green-clad plumber was glad to see his brother was all right. Perhaps he hadn't messed things up too badly after all.

After an eternity ended, the older brother pulled back, wearing the largest smile Luigi had ever seen on him. "How are you feeling?" the hero asked, looking over the other's injuries. "Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm okay…" Luigi replied, though his voice cracked from dehydration. Glancing at the door, he swallowed before asking, "What's going on out there?"

"Huh?" The shorter man followed the other's gaze. "Oh, that…Everyone wants to get in, just to see if you're awake yet."

"Why?"

Mario blinked with an incline of his head, puzzled by the other's tone. "Why not? You saved the whole Kingdom, Luigi."

"So it worked then?" Luigi asked hopefully. "Bowser's castle is gone?"

"Yeah…" the older brother answered, his eyes darkening slightly. "The castle is gone."

"Thank goodness…" the younger man breathed out, running his fingers through his auburn hair. "I was worried that it wasn't going to work."

The red-clad plumber hesitated for a moment. "What happened up there, anyway? What did you do?"

Luigi glanced at the other, running the event through his mind before explaining the entire story. He told of the damage done to the storage tank as well as the warning that had appeared on the monitor screen. He described how he had filled the tank with the power stars and used the hammer he found to smash open the tank and cause the explosion. He mentioned his hope that the detonation would spread throughout the entire castle and destroy it before it could reach Peach's castle, and his worry that it wouldn't work and the entire kingdom would still be ruined and Bowser would still win.

And Mario listened somberly, nodding every once in a while but never taking his eyes off his younger brother.

It was the other's intense look which gave Luigi the feeling that Mario was upset with him. As his story came to an end, he added softly, "I'm really sorry about what happened…It was the only thing that I could come up with at the time, and –"

"No, it's okay, Luigi. You did what you had to do." The red-capped hero shook his head slightly as his eyes focused on the ground. "You…I mean, I was…I just got scared, that's all."

"Scared?" the younger plumber repeated, his eyes widening. "You?"

A sad smile flickered across the older brother's features. "Yeah…" he replied in a low tone. "I really was, y'know."

"But Mario, you…you never get scared…"

"Not that I ever remember. But after the castle blew up and I realized that you had been caught up in it…when we couldn't find you after a few days…And then the condition you were in when I _did_ finally find you, and when the doctors weren't sure you were gonna make it…Luigi, I've never been so terrified in my life!"

A response formulated in Luigi's mind, but it died as he watched the other bury his face in his hands. "Yeah, I was afraid of what would happen if you didn't make it, Luigi…but I was also afraid that what happened to you was all _my_ fault. If I hadn't gone after Bowser and left you alone, then maybe you wouldn't have gotten hurt. And I was _so_ scared…that you'd hate me for everything…"

Luigi swallowed thickly as he stared at the hero. It was the same kind of fear, he realized. Even if the reasons were different, the fear that his brother was feeling was the same type of fear he always experienced. It was strange…because he never expected to see Mario act that way. His courageous brother who he always turned to for reassurance now seemed to need reassurance himself.

Struggling to find his voice, the younger man said, "Mario, I…I could never hate you. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I should have been there to help you," the red-clad plumber rasped as he dropped his hands. "That's why you brought me up to the castle in the first place, isn't it? But I didn't do anything, and you could have –"

"But I didn't," the younger man insisted softly. "And you _did_ help me. I never would have done anything if it wasn't for you. The only reason I was able to do what I did is because I thought you would have done the same thing."

Mario glanced up at the other, considering his next words. "Luigi…" he stated slowly, "you really need to give yourself more credit."

The green-clad man blinked in slight confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, y'know? You're a lot braver than you think you are."

Luigi frowned, looking away from him. "No I'm not…"

"C'mon, Luigi. Look at everything you did! You were able to destroy Bowser's castle all by yourself! Even though you were scared, you did what you had to do…to save the kingdom. You stood up to Bowser, you came up with plans to stop him, and you risked everything – even your _life_ – to protect everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom! Even if you were scared, you still worked through it to do what you thought was right. _How_ could you not think you're brave?"

The green-clad plumber had never considered it that way. He had always assumed that since he was always afraid, it meant that he could never be brave. He never thought that he could be courageous while still being afraid. "I guess…" he replied after a moment. "But I still messed up…If it wasn't for me, Kooper and Millie wouldn't have –"

"Luigi, what happened to them isn't your fault. There was no way you could have known what would happen. Besides, they wanted to help you, remember? I'll bet that if they knew what would happen to them in the end, they'd still want to help you out."

Sniffling, Luigi dared a glimpse at the other. "You think so?"

"Yeah…because you really helped them out."

"I just wish I could have done more for them…"

Mario sighed before drawing his younger brother into his arms again. "You did all you could, Luigi. They couldn't blame you for that. I'm sorry…that they're gone, and I'm really sorry that you had to lose them that way. I'm sorry that you had to go through so much to help the Mushroom Kingdom…but I'm really proud of you."

Luigi felt the tears sting his eyes as he returned the embrace, despite the painful protest of his body. He could never remember hearing those words from his brother before, nor did he ever remember doing anything to deserve such words. But hearing them now, knowing that he had done something worthwhile…It meant more to him than anything.

The brothers drew away as the door creaked open, glancing at the entrance to find the two very astonished princesses staring at them with widened eyes.

The green-clad plumber grinned sheepishly. "Hi…" he murmured.

"Oh, Luigi!" Daisy exclaimed, rushing to his bedside and wrapping her arms around him. "I can't believe you're awake!" He returned the gesture with an embarrassed smile.

Though she calmly walked towards the bed and stood beside Mario, the happy glisten in Peach's eyes was easy to see. "How are you feeling?" she asked softly.

"All right, I guess," Luigi replied as the tomboy princess hesitantly pulled away so the blonde could take her place.

"You really scared us, you know," the pink-gowned woman whispered, lingering for a moment before releasing her friend. "We were so worried about you."

"I know…I'm sorry about all that…" The rest of the apology faded on his lips when Daisy leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, causing him to flush deeply.

"The important thing now is that you're okay," the dark-haired princess stated, her sapphire eyes sparkling as she sat in the chair by the bed. "But if you ever do _anything_ like that again, I swear I'll kill you myself."

Luigi laughed, but it was brief as the pain in his side prevented anything more. "I'll keep that in mind…"

But Mario already noticed the wince that passed through his younger brother's features. "Maybe we should let Luigi get some more rest," he suggested.

"That's not fair, Mario," Daisy pouted, shooting him a playful glare. " _You_ got a chance to talk with Luigi while we were outside dealing with the mob, and now that _we_ get a chance you're trying to chase us out?"

"Daisy…" Peach admonished.

"No, it's okay," Luigi replied. "I wouldn't mind the company, and I'm sure I've been asleep for a long time anyway."

"Yeah, you have," the brunette answered before Mario or Peach could get a say. "So much has been going on while you were here in the hospital."

"Oh really? Like what?"

The other three exchanged knowing glances and sly grins. "Well, after the castle exploded, Mario mentioned that _you_ had been the one to stop Bowser from destroying the Mushroom Kingdom…so everyone has wanted to see you since then. Plus, there have been interesting rumors that have been going around the kingdom…"


	10. Epilogue

Mario was well aware of all the noise that surrounded their house, signaling the mass of people that chose to remain. But it was an occurrence he was quite used to dealing with. An assembly was always present and following him after he completed another adventure; people hoping for the chance to ask him questions about his travels, to take his picture, to get his autograph, or the like. And the hero had gotten quite good at ignoring them and going about his daily business. He would just have to wait until the crowd dwindled off, which usually took a few weeks depending on the victory that followed the deed.

But he couldn't help the smile that formed on his lips. After all, for the first time in so long, the people weren't gathered there for _him_.

A soft knock on the door drew him out of his thoughts. Looking towards it, he frowned a little. Despite the large gathering, most people never went past their front gates and onto the property. He wasn't sure _why_ , but he never argued with them. Convincing himself that it wasn't important, Mario returned to cleaning the living room.

However, the tapping urgently persisted. With a small sigh, he hid the feather duster under the coffee table and went to the front door, cracking it open to quickly scan the front yard.

The only people he noticed was the crowd that remained behind the fence. Confusion filled him and prompted him to open the door wider, for he was certain that he heard someone knocking. Then he felt a gentle tug on his overalls, and he found himself looking down at two Toad children. The taller Toad shifted his weight from one foot to the other, an embarrassed expression on his face as he glanced back at the excited crowd behind him. But the small Toadette looked up at the man with a bright smile on her round face, carrying an assortment of colorful flowers in her tiny hands.

"Hi, Misser Mario!" the young girl chirped. She held up the bouquet as high as she could. "I gots these for Misser Luigi so he'd get better sooner! Do ya think he'll like 'em?"

Mario smiled as he accepted the flowers from her. "I'm sure he'll love them," he replied. "Thank you very much for bringing them."

"Okay, Sis, you gave 'em the flowers. Can we go now?" the Toad boy asked nervously, glancing back once again at the jealous crowd.

The Toadette's smile disappeared as she glanced at her older brother. "Oh…but…" She looked back up at Mario with a small pout on her lips.

The red-capped hero blinked, kneeling down in front of her. "What is it?" he asked gently. "Is something wrong?"

"Well…no…" Shyly she looked down at her feet as she began to play with her hands. "Is jus' that…see, my mommy jus' gots me a new a…o…attagraph book, like the one my brother gots…"

The Toad groaned softly. " _Please_ don't do this now…" he whined.

The little girl ignored him and continued to fidget with her hands. "And…I was wond'rin'…if Misser Luigi would sign it…" She looked up at Mario again with wide hopeful eyes. "Is it okay?"

Mario bit his bottom lip, shaking his head and placing his hand on top of her white and pink hat. "I'm sorry, but Luigi needs his rest right now, and –"

"Mario?"

The red-capped hero didn't see the Toadette's expression brighten as he glanced over his shoulder, watching as his younger brother hobbled on his crutches into the living room. The younger plumber looked on with a curious face as he stopped by the couch, his sapphire eyes moving from Mario to the Toad children.

As Mario rose to stand, the two brothers watched each other for a silent moment. Then with a small smile, Luigi carefully made his way to the couch and sat with his broken leg propped on the arrangement of pillows. With an understanding smile of his own, the older brother shook his head before turning back to the Toad children, who watched the green-clad hero in questioning excitement.

Placing his hand back on the girl's head to get her attention, Mario handed the bouquet back to her. "Here," he said softly, nodding to his younger brother on the couch, "I think it'd be better if _you_ gave these to him."

Her eyes widened slightly as she took the flowers from him. With a large smile, she then ran to where Luigi patiently sat. Her older brother, however, seemed unsure if he wanted to enter. But with gentle prodding from Mario, the Toad boy entered the house so Mario could close the door behind him.

As Luigi lifted the Toadette so she could sit on the edge of the couch, she eagerly presented the flowers to him. "Here Misser Luigi!" she stated proudly. "I picked these jus' for you so you'd feel better!"

A shy smile spread over the plumber's face as he accepted the bouquet. "Thank you," he said softly. "Did you pick these all by yourself?"

The Toadette nodded vigorously. "Uh-huh! Mama said she was gonna help me, but I wan'ed to do it by myself. And I did! I didn' need help from nobody, even when a giant bee tried to take the flowers from me!"

The Toad boy rolled his eyes, muttering something about lies and crybabies. But his comments went unnoticed by his sister, who plucked one white flower from the bunch. "Mama said I should get diff'rent kinds a' flowers, so I tried t' do that." She held the white flower up to Luigi. "But I mos'ly picked these kind, 'cuz I heard you like daisies the best, don'cha?"

Luigi felt the warm flush on his cheeks as Mario tried to suppress a snicker. Taking the daisy from her, the green-clad hero arranged it back with the other flowers. "Yes, I suppose so," he finally replied, avoiding his brother's teasing gaze.

The Toadette beamed, satisfied with herself. But her smile faded as she looked at the man's cast. "Does your leg still hurt, Misser Luigi?" she asked, turning back to him.

Luigi shook his head. "Not so much anymore. It still hurts sometimes, but it's getting better."

"How much longer do ya hafta wear the cast?"

He quickly went over the days in his head. "About three or so more weeks."

The Toadette gaped at him. "But tha's gonna take for _ever_!"

Luigi couldn't help but laugh a little. "Three weeks isn't _too_ long. I'm sure it'll pass by sooner than you think."

The look on her face clearly showed she didn't believe him, but she said nothing else as she looked back at the cast, noting all the colored writings scrawled on the plaster. "What're all these?" she asked.

"Those were written by other people who came to visit me. They all thought it'd be nice to sign my cast."

She turned back to him eagerly. "Can I sign your cast too?"

With a small smile, Luigi then pointed to the coffee table where different colored pens were already waiting to be used. Hopping off the couch, the Toadette went to the table and scanned the colors, trying to decide which color to use. Then with a grin, she grabbed the green pen and went back to the couch. "I dunno how t' spell yet," she confessed, "so is it okay if I draw instead?"

When the man nodded, she quickly went to work drawing her picture on a blank spot of plaster. With as much concentration as a child could muster, she concentrated on creating the best picture she'd ever draw, using her free hand to keep it a secret from Luigi. After another moment, she pulled back and smiled happily at her work.

Luigi sat up to look at the two green figures that now decorated his cast. The larger figure wore what appeared to be a green cap with a white circle in the center, while the smaller figure wore a large white mushroom hat with green spots everywhere.

"I know I'm s'pposed ta have pink spots insteada green ones," the Toadette said as she pointed to her drawings, "but I like the green ones better, 'cuz green's my fav'rite color."

"Is that so?" the plumber asked, still looking at the drawings; he'd heard that statement quite often recently.

"Yup yup! I even wan'ed a green hat 'n' stuff, but Mama said I couldn'…" The girl pouted slightly as she placed the pen back on the coffee table.

Thinking for a moment, Luigi then slowly removed his emerald cap and placed it on top of the girl's mushroom hat. "Here," he said with a smile, "you can borrow mine for a while."

The Toadette gasped as she felt the added weight of the cap atop her head. "Really?!" she asked, looking up at him.

"Well, I'll need it back sometime. But you can borrow it for now."

"Wow! You're the bestest, Misser Luigi!"

The man didn't reply, but the embarrassed smile on his face remained.

Leaning against the couch's armrest and watching the scene before him, Mario then looked at the small Toadette. "Hey," he suddenly spoke up, "didn't you want to ask Luigi something else?"

The girl looked up at the red-clad plumber with a puzzled expression. Then her eyes lit up with understanding. "Oh yeah!" she replied as she pulled out a small white book from her pink vest. Looking back at Luigi and holding up the book to him, she said, "Here Misser Luigi!"

"What is it?" the taller man asked as he took the book from her.

"It's a attagraph book! Mama jus' buyed me a brand new one, jus' like the one my brother gots! I haven' used it yet, 'cuz I wan'ed you t' be the first one t' sign it!"

The Toadette handed Luigi the pen from the coffee table, and the man carefully opened the book and flipped through the crisp blank pages before turning back to the first page and carefully signing his name. The green ink appeared dark against the white sheet, but it brightened as the ink slowly dried. Making sure the signature was completely dry, he handed the book back to the eager girl.

Snatching the book back from him, the Toadette hugged it to her and looked up at him happily. "Thank you, thank you, thank you sooooooo much, Misser Luigi!"

Luigi smiled, but his attention was drawn to the Toad boy who stood off to the side; he held his hands behind his back and kept his eyes on his foot while he drew patterns across the floor. Watching him for a moment, the green-clad man then said softly, "Is anything wrong?"

The boy shook his head, though never looked up.

"Are you all right?"

A small nod.

The Toadette looked at her brother curiously, then smiled and skipped over to him. "C'mon, Big Brother!" she said, giving him a gentle push towards Luigi. "It's okay! You can ask 'im!"

The Toad glared at her before looking bashfully at Luigi. From behind his back, he pulled out a small blue book and held it up to the plumber.

With a soft laugh, Luigi took the blue book and opened the tattered cover. The autograph book definitely had gotten a lot of use; signatures filled most of the pages that were either bent or close to falling out. But in the back he found a clean page where he signed his name and allowed the ink to dry before giving the book back to its owner.

Perking up, the boy took the book and tucked it away in his vest. "Thanks," he said. Then turning to his sister, he added, "C'mon, Squirt. Time to go home."

She looked up at him and pouted. "Awwwww!" she whined. "Do we gotsta?"

"We've already been gone longer than we thought. Mom's gotta be wonderin' where we are by now."

The pout never left her face, but she nodded glumly. "Okay…" Tilting her head forward, she caught the green cap as it slid off her head and held it up to Luigi. "We gotsta get goin', Misser Luigi."

The man nodded, taking back his cap and setting it on his head. "Just be careful on your way home, okay?"

"We will," the boy responded, opening the front door and allowing the noise from the crowd to be heard.

The Toadette hesitated, unwilling to depart. Looking up at Luigi, she asked shyly, "After you get your cast off, and if I stand in the way _way_ front…will I be able to see you from your big float?"

"I think you should be able to," the green-clad plumber replied.

She glanced at her brother, who waited for her at the door. Turning back to Luigi, she asked, "Will you see me?"

Debating his answer for a moment, the man said, "I'll make sure to look for you, okay?"

She smiled, seemingly satisfied with the response. Carefully climbing up on the couch, she gave Luigi a quick hug before jumping back down. "If you see me, promise to wave, okay?"

Luigi laughed a little. "I promise."

She beamed happily. "Okay! Bye Misser Luigi!" She hurried after her brother, and the two Toad children disappeared out the door. When they were gone, the green-clad plumber sighed softly.

Closing the door, Mario then disappeared into the kitchen and returned just as quickly, holding a glass vase filled with water. "You should be resting," he accused, though his tone remained gentle as he held the vase to his younger brother.

Luigi just shrugged, rearranging the flowers before sliding them into the container. "I planned on taking a quick nap, but I couldn't sleep. Then I felt the need to stretch a little."

Mario placed the vase in the center of the coffee table and retrieved his feather duster. "Interesting how you always feel the need to stretch when people happen to be at the door."

The younger plumber didn't respond, suddenly very interested in the ink markings on his cast. Mario shook his head a little, though he held a small smile on his face. Having had a lot of practice after Mario returned from an adventure, Luigi easily learned how to avoid the throng of people who wanted his attention during the weeks after returning from the hospital (though had some trouble adjusting to the fact that they all wanted to see _him_ instead of Mario). However, the green-clad hero didn't mind the occasional visitor in the house, and especially had a soft spot for young children. He wasn't too fond of the reporters who constantly flashed pictures and bombarded him with questions about his venture, but he enjoyed talking with people about any other topic. And any child who stopped by always asked to sign his cast, which was why Luigi eventually had pens ready for the kids to use.

But even with his improving condition, Luigi still had a long way to recover, and people visiting him only tired him out.

"At this rate," Mario spoke aloud as he started dusting again, "it's going to take longer than three weeks for you to get better. And we can't keep postponing the parade."

Luigi groaned softly. "Is the parade really necessary?"

"Peach and the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom seem to think so. Besides, there are so many people who are looking forward to it. You don't want to disappoint them all, do you?"

The younger brother sighed. The parade was meant to be a surprise for him, but Daisy had felt like sharing the news despite Peach's protests. While he had been unconscious in the hospital, many citizens thought it would be a good idea to throw him a celebration in appreciation for saving the kingdom from Bowser and requested it from Peach. Thinking it over, he shouldn't have been too surprised; it was a common practice, and Mario often had celebrations held in his honor. But he still felt a parade was a bit extravagant. Yet Peach insisted on it, and somehow he had agreed to it.

Luckily for him, though, the doctor was adamant that Luigi be fully recuperated before any parade took place. And he didn't mind waiting until his injuries were gone (no matter how long _that_ took).

Still…he _did_ promise that little girl that he'd look for her at the parade…

Suddenly Luigi was drawn out of his thoughts as a strange scent tickled his nose. "What's that smell?" he asked.

As Mario turned to look at him curiously, he caught sight of the trail of black smoke that floated in from the kitchen. "Mama Mia!" he exclaimed, dropping the feather duster and dashing into the other room.

Watching him go, Luigi sighed again. In normal circumstances, Mario was an excellent cook. But because he insisted on handling all the chores while Luigi take it easy and rest, the red-clad plumber didn't pay as much attention to the kitchen as he should have. And as he glanced around the living room, the taller man frowned; while he appreciated his brother's concern and effort, he couldn't wait to get back to cleaning.

A knock on the door called his attention. Glancing towards the kitchen, Luigi then turned back to the door. "Come in," he called.

The door opened as a familiar figure stepped inside, carrying a basket in one gloved hand. Though the dark hood concealed the face, it did little to hide the orange dress underneath.

Luigi sat up in surprise. "Daisy?"

Pulling back the hood, the princess shook out her auburn hair. "Hey Luigi!" she said with a smile.

He watched her with a small frown. "What are you doing here?"

Placing the basket on the coffee table, she sat next to him on the edge of the couch. "I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd drop by," she replied innocently.

Luigi looked at her suspiciously. "You snuck out of your castle again, didn't you?"

"Maybe…" she replied slowly. Then, with a small pout fixed on her lips, she added, "But so what? You almost sound like you don't want me here."

His expression softened. "I…I-I didn't say that…" he stammered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was just –"

Leaning forward, she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek to quiet him down. "I was just kidding," she said, hiding a laugh as Luigi blushed deeply. "I just wanted to come and see how you were feeling, that's all."

He smiled a little. "I'm doing all right, really."

"You're sure?" the princess pressed, raising a curious eyebrow.

"I'm sure," Luigi insisted. "I'm really fine. I mean, I am still recovering, but I'll be okay. You don't have to keep worrying about me."

She pursed her lips into a thin line. Normally Daisy wasn't the worrying type, but it was hard not to be when it came to Luigi, especially after recent events. She knew well that he was going to be fine and there was no need to fret over it, but she found that she couldn't help herself no matter how many times he told her he'd be all right.

Because they never told him just how close they had been to losing him.

If she wanted to be honest with herself, she would have to admit that her constant visits were more for her own peace of mind than anything else. She would drop by just to see him; just to make sure that he was actually there and she wasn't just dreaming he was awake, like she had during the weeks he was comatose in the hospital. And she knew how silly she was being…but she didn't really care.

Besides, she liked visiting Luigi. And no one was going to keep her from doing so.

"Daisy?" she heard Luigi ask softly. "Are you okay?"

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she smiled at him and placed another kiss on his cheek. His blush returned, but he looked at her with wondering eyes. "What was that for?"

She just smirked, flipping back her auburn hair. "Because I felt like it," she teased.

Before the green-clad man could form an answer, she looked at his injured leg. "Oh…this one's new," she said, touching the green drawing of the man and the Toadette.

"Just got it right before you came."

She nodded, looking over the colorful writings that splashed the white plaster. "So how does it feel being the hero?" she asked, looking back at the man.

"It's…a little embarrassing, really," he replied honestly. "I don't really like the attention too much, and I can't wait for things to get back to normal."

Daisy smiled. Luigi had never been one for fame and recognition. He much preferred things quiet and simple. "How much longer do you think it'll last?"

The man shrugged a little. "I'm not sure. Until something else exciting happens, I guess…or maybe at least until after the parade."

"Probably," she replied. Feeling the need to do something, she reached up and snatched Luigi's cap off his head, placing it on top of her own. "What do you think you're going to do after everything's settled down again?"

He shrugged again, deciding not to mention how the princess made even his hat look good. "I'm not sure. I'll most likely just get back to doing things around here."

"Yeah? No plans for another adventure?"

"No…" Luigi replied softly. A small smile suddenly crossed his face. "Well, not right away…but maybe someday I'll be brave enough to have another one."

Watching him for a moment, Daisy then gently took his hand. "You're brave enough," she assured him. "You've always been brave enough. You just needed a chance to see it for yourself."

He looked at her, a little surprised before smiling shyly in appreciation and averting his eyes. "I…guess so," he said noncommittally.

"You'll see," she continued. "I bet you're going to have a lot of great adventures, now that you know what you're capable of." With a grin, she added, "And I'm gonna be with you too!"

Luigi looked up at her. "What?"

"Well, Peach was always with Mario on _his_ adventures. So if you're going to go on a quest, I should come too."

"Peach was usually the _reason_ for Mario's adventures," he corrected. "And that's because he was rescuing her after she was kidnapped."

She waved him off with her hand. "So we'll change the details a little. The point is, a princess is a key element to the journey. If you're going on an adventure, then I'll _have_ to come with you!"

Luigi didn't have a chance to answer as Mario finally returned from the kitchen, his denim overalls covered with black smudges. Looking over at him, Daisy blinked. "Another disaster in the kitchen, Mario?" she asked.

The older brother didn't seem surprised by her presence. Instead, he answered calmly, "At least the garbage disposal is eating well lately."

She laughed. "Well, that's okay. I brought some lunch with me, just in case."

"Y'know Daisy," Mario said, smirking as he removed his soiled gloves and stuck them in his back pocket, "you come by so often, you might as well just stay here for awhile. Luigi would probably get better faster if you do."

"Mario!" Luigi sputtered, his cheeks burning.

Daisy laughed again. "Sounds tempting," she replied with mock consideration, "but I can't, unfortunately. Too much responsibility at home, and blah, blah, blah."

The shorter plumber shrugged. "Well, that's too bad. I'm sure Luigi would have loved it."

"Mario, why don't you get stuff from the kitchen so we can try some of the food Daisy brought us?" the younger brother suggested with a glare.

Mario and Daisy exchanged mischievous glances. "Sure," the older brother replied. "Staying for lunch, Princess?"

The brunette rose to her feet, presenting him with a playful curtsey. "I would love to," she said with a laugh.

With a mock bow, Mario ducked back into the kitchen. But he could still see the two in the living room, and he watched as Daisy removed the green cap and handed it back to Luigi, who took it with an embarrassed pout. The princess laughed, leaning forward and whispering something to him which caused him to blush deeper and her to laugh harder.

The red-clad plumber smiled as he watched the two of them. Even with the bashful expression, he could see the happy light in his brother's eyes as he and Daisy continued to converse. After everything Luigi went through in Bowser's castle, it was nice to see him so happy. And Mario promised that he would do whatever he could to help his brother stay happy.

Luigi deserved that much at least.


End file.
